Gulliver's Travels
by Tripp3235
Summary: S1 AU. As angry as Beckett is at Castle for reopening her mother's murder, when a body shows up outside his door, she's forced to put her resentment aside and help him through being targeted by one of the most prolific serial killers the world has ever seen. Takes place about 10-14 days after 1x10.
1. Chapter 1

_Title: Gulliver's Travels_

_Synopsis: Post S1. As angry as Beckett is at Castle for reopening her mother's murder, when a body shows up outside his door, she's forced to put her resentment aside and help him through being targeted by one of the most prolific serial killers the world has ever seen._

_Thank you to my betas: Slynn6776, ScarletAngel, McManda_

* * *

Chapter One

Her cell phone lit up and buzzed because when Kate was in the squad room she always made sure her phone was on vibrate. But the screen showed Castle's name and picture he had taken of himself so she pressed the ignore key and shifted her eyes back to the paperwork in front of her. She and the boys had finished up a new case and now all that was left was the red tape. But she now was grasping the paper tighter because just seeing Castle's name caused her whole body to tense. After she made it clear to him to leave her alone, he still had the gall to call her.

"Yo," came Esposito's voice, lighter because they had put another bad guy away. When he caught sight of Kate he paused, aware something was wrong. She tried to shake it off but it wasn't hard for Esposito to figure it out. Handing her the information she asked him for earlier he simply asked, "Castle call?"

She nodded, even the mention of his name setting her body on edge. She looked through the papers Esposito gave her trying to find the information she needed. The detective hadn't left though, and her eyes trailed up to his guilt-ridden face. "Are we okay? Still? I never should have let him…"

"It's okay, Javi," Kate said, softer than the first time he apologized. He nodded and walked away, Kate's eyes watching him do so.

When Ryan and Esposito found out Castle had been banished from the 12th and when they found out why, Esposito had looked grief-stricken. He had come to her privately and admitted he had gotten the case for Castle He had told her he was sorry and had no idea Castle was going to take things that far, but Kate had shrugged him off. Any hurt or resentment from a co-worker only mildly stung, really because she had never told Esposito to back off. Not like she had done with Castle, who had ignored the warning. When he had brought up her mother's case a day or two earlier, she had shut him down fast. And the look on his face had told her he GOT what she was saying. She remembered relief filling her as they left the station because she was sure he understood never to go near her mother's case. So much for her people reading skills.

The fact Castle had looked so apologetic when he admitted his actions did nothing to stop the air being knocked out of her with his news. It had taken her a whole minute to recover until she realized he was still speaking about what he had discovered. She just heard he had hired "an expert" and from there she had stopped him. How dare he bring in someone else? She had never regretted her decision more in telling him about her mother's past until that moment. As if following her around on her job with his annoying theories, his arrogant observations, and constant prying into her current life wasn't enough, he had to go and dig up her past and share it with a complete stranger. A 'professional' whom Castle deemed could give more insight into the case than she had.

She had told him to leave and never come back. He had listened to her, perhaps noticing her voice was different. It hadn't been one of irritation or annoyance or even anger. It was a controlled fury. He had had enough sense to not try to argue with her right there in the hospital, down the hall from the hospitalized FBI agent and former boyfriend of hers, the same man from whom she was going to have to excuse herself now, sparking Will to question what was wrong and what did Castle do this time? She couldn't get into it. She left the hospital and went straight home and cried. Damn Castle for making her cry.

After that, Castle continued to call every day, usually multiple times. However, Kate ignored him. She wasn't interested in talking to him ever again and eventually he seemed to get the message. Until now, when he made another attempt, but Kate didn't care. She saw he left a voice mail and decided she would delete that later. Sighing, Kate recovered and got back to work. Sooner or later Castle would have to learn that the world did not revolve around him.

Kate took the last completed form and placed it in a folder and then stretched her tired muscles. She spent the entire day on this paperwork and finally she was done. Now that she wasn't busy anymore she looked down at her phone prepared to find Castle's voicemail and delete it. In the several hours since his last call she was relieved he hadn't called again. She had just finished deleting the voicemail when her desk phone rang.

"Beckett," she said, voice professional.

"This is Detective Kate Beckett?" asked a male voice she didn't recognize.

"Yes, and you are?"

She heard some noise in the background. "This is Sergeant Troy from the 13th. You are the detective who worked with Richard Castle?"

Kate tensed up at the question. Surely Castle wasn't trying to contact her through someone else. Keeping her voice unemotional, she simply replied, "Yes."

She could swear she heard a snicker and she felt herself grasp the phone receiver hard. As if it wasn't hard enough to get respect being a female police officer, the mere presence of her annoying shadow seemed to bring great amusement to her colleagues.

"How well do you know him, Detective?"

"Excuse me?" What in the world was this about? She thought back to his stunts over the years. Had he gotten himself in trouble and thought she'd get him out of it?

"We've been called to his home. It seems a body has been dumped, well, dumped isn't the right word. Hung? Hanged?"

In the background she heard someone say, "I bet the writer would know."

Troy continued, "A body has been left here at Mr. Castle's door. He says he doesn't know who the man is. We are going to investigate this but we wanted to start with you to see if it's likely he did it himself."

Kate was speechless. Trying to recover at what Sergeant Troy just told her, Kate asked, "Is he … is Mr. Castle okay?"

"I wouldn't describe him as okay, but then I don't know him very well. He seems pretty upset." Kate could imagine. "He could just be faking it."

_Uh oh_. "You think he did this? Sergeant Troy, Mr. Castle is a best-selling, award-winning mystery writer. He wouldn't be dumb enough to kill someone and then leave them right outside his home."

"Yeah, but I've been a homicide detective for over ten years and this crime scene has got a particular flair which I understand Mr. Castle's books are known for. Do you really know him well enough to know that he couldn't have done this?"

Kate believed that most people rarely really got to know anyone that well. Was Castle capable of murder? She didn't think so, but that didn't mean anything when the evidence said otherwise. Still, Kate knew he had one hell of an imagination and it sure had failed him if the best place he could find to dump a body was his own building. "You and I both know, Sergeant, people are wrong about other people all the time. But Mr. Castle would know better than to kill someone and then call the police claiming to have found the body himself."

"He isn't claiming he found the body," Troy corrected. "His daughter, an Alexis Castle, found it when she walked outside this morning to leave for school."

Hearing that, Kate was convinced Castle had nothing to do with it. "Then no way is he responsible for this. He's too good of a father to let his daughter be exposed to something like that."

"I see," Troy said, not sounding as convinced, "but like I said, this isn't exactly a typical crime scene. Can I ask you … do you have time to come over here right now and talk to us? As a favor to another homicide detective?"

Kate cringed at the request. She really didn't want to take the chance of seeing Castle. However, curiosity did get the better of her and she agreed. Hanging up the phone, she looked over at Captain Montgomery's office knowing he was still there. She wanted to talk to him first before heading over to Castle's loft.

* * *

Kate got off the elevator and took a left in the direction of Castle's apartment. Immediately she was met by a uniform, so she pulled out her badge and he let her go by. Her jaw dropped at the sight in front of her: a police photographer, two men in suits (one she assumed to be Troy) and the medical examiner (who she didn't recognize) were gathered together in the narrow hallway in front of Castle's door. Normally such a group would be surrounding a body lying on the floor but instead they were all looking up. Hanging from the ceiling was the victim. As Kate stepped closer she could see a red stain in the center of the man's chest. It was now dripping down to the floor and the ME was pointing up towards the body, probably trying to figure out the best way to cut him down.

At Kate's approach one of the suits steps forward, extending his hand gloveless. Extending her own, she introduced herself.

"Thanks for coming," he said. "You spoke to my partner, Sergeant Troy. I'm Detective Jones. Troy's inside talking to Mr. Castle."

Kate nodded and concern suddenly coated Kate's heart as she wondered how he and his family were dealing with this. "No problem, I'm glad to help."

Her counterpart nodded, "Thank you just the same. I don't suppose the guy up there looks familiar. Seen him around here or talking to Mr. Castle before, maybe?"

Now closer to the victim, Kate studied him. He was wearing a type of uniform; blue, and the name on the left side said Rodger. He was an older middle-aged man, probably in his fifties. But he didn't look familiar and Kate said so. What really got her attention was the way he was hung from the ceiling. The rope was strung in a crisscross method, and the rope itself was unusual. Thin and brown. Hooks had been screwed into the ceiling joists and the rope ran through. It would have taken time and planning to leave the vic this way.

The detective was writing in his little notebook and Kate was just about to ask how the family was doing when she heard Castle's exasperated voice inside, "No, I don't know Rodger! I've never seen Rodger before and don't recognize the uniform."

Kate had never heard Castle sound so upset. She didn't hear Sergeant Troy's follow up question, but she heard her former shadow's next response, "Because I looked, Sergeant! Do you think when faced with a dead body on my literal doorstep, I'd make sure I didn't know him?"

Taking a step inside, Kate's eyes found Castle standing in his living room with a man whom she could guess was Sergeant Troy. Troy was facing her and she didn't like the judgmental look he was giving Castle. No matter what kind of an ass Castle could be, he did not deserve what was happening to him now. Glancing to her left she saw Martha and Alexis in the kitchen, the older woman hugging Alexis. Clearly finding the body had upset the young girl.

"Thank God! Beckett is here." Kate's attention snapped back to Castle and Troy, the former seeing Kate now and obviously relieved at her presence. At his reaction to her, Kate pursed her lips. She wasn't exactly sure what she could really do for him.

Troy walked up to her then and they shook hands. "Thanks for coming." At Kate's nod, he went on, "You see why I called you. It's an unusual scene to say the least."

"Yeah, you don't find bodies hung from the ceiling every day."

"Especially with such an elaborate method of display. Have you ever seen anything like that?"

Kate shook her head, "No, I have not."

Lowering his voice, Troy asked, "And that rope? You ever see it before? Maybe here?"

"No," she answered, getting annoyed herself. Troy starting to remind her of Detective Raglan, the investigating detective from her mother's case and the kind of cop who looked for easy answers so he can cross a case off his list and move on to the next one. "I told you, even if Castle was capable of this he wouldn't have let his daughter find the body."

"Hmmmm," the older man said, writing in his notebook, "How long did you two work together?"

"Eight months, give or take." _Was it really that long?_

"And what ended his following you?"

Oh, she didn't want to get into that, not with him. "It was just … time to end it."

"You ended it, right." It wasn't a question but he seemed fine not following up on the why for now.

Kate nodded. Troy continued writing. Kate asked, "So?"

"It's just convenient, don't you think? He stops getting to head out with the cops and now he suddenly has a great excuse to be a part of an investigation again."

_Was this man serious?_ "So he killed someone and literally hung him outside his door?"

"It's possible."

"No, it's…" Kate stopped, realizing insulting the investigating officer would not help Castle's current predicament. "Sergeant, I'm sure when you view the security video -

"There is no security video."

Kate shook her head. "Yes there is. There are security cameras at all entrances of this building. I've noticed them when I come to visit…"

Troy interrupted her, "When you visit?"

"Related to _working_ together, Sergeant."

"Yeah, but they got turned off. The building maintenance manager doesn't understand how," Troy said smugly. "Conveniently."

This worried Kate, but not for the reason Sergeant Troy thought. Kate had not allowed herself to entertain the possibility that Castle was being targeted on purpose. Until she saw the body, she had hoped that this building was just somehow opportune for the murder. But now hearing that the security cameras didn't capture any footage, as well as the time it took to place the body in that position, Kate was getting a very bad feeling about the situation.

"Well, Detective Beckett, I believe Detective Jones and I can take it from here. We appreciate you coming down." He walked away back out to the hallway leaving Kate to glare at his back.

"Thank you so much for coming!"

Kate turned to see Castle was now standing in front of her. She felt breathless at the sight of him, which confused her; she hadn't expected to have any physical reaction to his presence other than revulsion or disgust. Maybe seeing him obviously upset and worried along with his family was the reason she was reacting in such a way.

Smiling at her, he said, "I didn't think you would even listen to my voicemail."

"I didn't, but Sergeant Troy asked if I wouldn't mind coming down here and answer a few questions about you, which I have done." She wished she could now leave but her eyes looked past Castle over to where his mother and daughter were standing. Their eyes were on Kate's and she could see the relief on their own faces, making Kate's heart ache for them. "How are Martha and Alexis? Was she terribly upset? Alexis, I mean."

At the mention of his daughter, Castle frowned and Kate could see his body stiffen. "She was, but we'll get past it." Kate noted he didn't sound convinced.

"Well, hopefully this will be over soon. It will be once they mark you off the suspect list."

"Yeah, do you think that's gonna be anytime soon? Because I'm getting a little tired of Sergeant Troy's condescending questions."

"It's just standard protocol." She knew it did little to settle his anxiety.

But to her surprise, Castle's smiled, "Well now that you're here, you can take over and figure this out."

"What? No, Castle, I'm not taking over. In fact, I'm leaving." She turned to go.

"Wait, you aren't going to investigate yourself?"

Was he really serious? "No, Castle. First, it's not my jurisdiction. Second, because I have a working relationship with you, or had one, regulations would prevent me from looking into it anyway."

"Oh. Gotcha. Red tape. Don't worry, I'll make a call to the mayor and I'm sure by the morning…"

_Oh God._ "Castle, do NOT do that. You can't expect your connections to work this time. Plus, do you have any idea how bad this will look if you did such a thing?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you already have made me a mockery by making me the subject of your next book, but to have me taking over cases from other precincts is really overstepping the line Castle, and I won't do it."

"Kate," he reached out his hand and touched her arm. "Please. Someone killed somebody and brought him here and my daughter found him. I can't just leave this up to fate. I need the best investigating this … I need you."

If she didn't know any better she thought she saw tears in his eyes but he blinked so fast that she decided she imagined them. Softening her voice, Kate said, "I'm sorry, Castle. There isn't anything I can do. But I'm sure the thirteenth will get to the bottom of this in no time."

With that she walked out, praying that Troy and Jones would prove her right.


	2. Chapter 2

_Gulliver's Travels  
Chapter two  
As always, thank you to my long suffering betas!_

* * *

The next day Kate came to the office early. She didn't get much sleep the night before; she hated to admit she was worried about Castle. Now in the break room she was struggling with the espresso machine, steam blowing in her face, and making her mood all the darker.

Ryan walked in. "Need some help?"

"No," she said, irritated. She really hated this damn machine. "Maybe."

He smiled and she stepped aside. She could tell by the way he was looking at her that he knew something was up.

"Just say it, Kevin."

"How is Castle doing? Can't be easy finding a dead body outside your door."

"He didn't find it, Alexis did," Kate corrected. That in particular got to her. It would be easier to try to ignore the whole situation if his sweet, teenaged daughter wasn't involved.

Ryan obviously agreed. "She did? Damn, that's hard. I bet Castle was upset. He's very protective of her."

"Yeah, he is," Kate said quietly, wishing Ryan would hurry up with the coffee.

A few moments passed and someone outside the room said, "Beckett, you have a visitor."

Glancing out to the bullpen Kate saw the back of the author's head, sitting in his old spot. "Son of a…" Kate didn't finish her sentence as she headed off in Castle's direction, momentarily forgetting her coffee.

"Castle, what the hell are you –"

"I brought you coffee," he interrupted. She glanced at the cup on her desk. "It's the least I can do to repay you for coming by last night."

Pulling out her chair, she sat down. "You need to go home, Castle. I can't help you."

Shaking his head and leaning forward he said, "I think you can. In fact, I know you can. Kate, for months I've watched you investigate homicides and – "

"And nothing, Castle. I told you I can't investigate this. It's not my jurisdiction. I'm sure Troy and Jones will be fine." She really hoped it was true.

"I doubt they could find where they parked their car if it didn't have a tracking GPS on it," he said, looking annoyed.

"Castle, you barely know them."

He shrugged. "You get a feel for people and I'm really getting a bad feeling from them. Not to mention, this is my home we are talking about. My daughter is involved. God Beckett, I really need you more than ever."

His pleading eyes almost did her in. Trying to stall, she sipped some of the coffee he brought. She had forgotten how good it was. "What is it you think I can do?"

"You could take over the investigation."

"No I can't, Castle!" Her voice rose louder than necessary.

Trying to calm her down, he lowered his. "Okay, fine. But you could come in and help out. You know, there isn't anything saying I can't hire you in a private capacity."

"I work for the NYPD so I can't just … " She trailed off when his hand covered her own. Back in the beginning when he first started shadowing her, she had threatened him with her gun if he ever tried to overstep his bounds and this most certainly qualified. So Kate couldn't understand why she let his hand remain there.

"Beck —Kate, please. If not for me, for Alexis. I'll do anything."

She almost wished she could, for Alexis's sake of course. Not because she was worried about him, or that he was still touching her hand. Jerking it away, she shook her head. "I'm sorry Castle, but I don't know how many times I can tell you…"

"If you help, I'll walk away for good. You won't have to deal with me anymore."

"That's where we are now." She glared at him. "Because you had to stick your nose in what was _never_ your business."

He flinched at that. "I know. You kicked me out. But I only wanted to help. Your mother's case –"

"Be very careful what you say next, Castle."

For a moment, he held her gaze, then obviously heeding her advice he tried another direction. "When the book is released there will be publicity and they will expect interviews and appearances. And not just me. They'll expect access to this station and especially to you."

This was the first she had heard of this. "What? I never agreed—"

"The mayor agreed on behalf of the NYPD." Kate had a lot to say to that but Castle followed quickly up, "But if you help me with this, I promise no one will bother you for anything. And it goes without saying that you'd never see me again."

She almost laughed at that. Like she would ever get so lucky. She didn't believe he would follow through with any of this but even if he did mean it, it didn't matter. "No."

"No?" he whined.

"No. Listen, your offer of never seeing you again is probably the most tempting proposal you've ever made, but it doesn't matter because I can't get involved."

He leaned back again and she could see the wheels turning in his head. "Even if you just came along to help me as a friend?"

"We aren't friends Castle." She expected him to look hurt at her words and he did. She hadn't expected to feel a pain in her heart at saying them. He held her stare for longer than necessary. Her phone rang, giving her excuse to tear her eyes away and answer. "Beckett."

The phone call was hardly anything, but Kate completely ignored Castle while she spoke. After a few beats, he got up and walked to the elevators. She hadn't planned on watching him go. She told herself it was better this way, that he needed to learn that their relationship was over. But when she heard the doors open she looked back anyway. From the sloping shoulders and hands in pockets, she gathered she was witnessing something very few people ever saw: a humbled Richard Castle.

* * *

The rest of the day was quiet, which normally Kate would be thankful, except she had nothing to get her mind off of her former shadow. The image of his retreating form almost haunted her. It didn't help Ryan and Esposito kept giving her looks that she wasn't supposed to see. She even caught the Captain glancing her way more than necessary.

He was busy now with a redheaded woman in his office. Kate didn't catch her name when she walked in, but she had been in Montgomery's office for over twenty minutes and it didn't take much to guess what she was: an FBI agent. She remembered the numerous agents she met while dating Will and it was fairly easy to spot them.

His door opened and the woman walked out, heading to the conference room. All eyes were on her. Kate didn't really care; her thoughts still with Castle. But Montgomery had other plans. "Detective, I need a word."

She left her desk and walked in as he closed the door behind her. "The woman who was in my office is Agent Jordan Shaw. Have you ever heard of her?"

Kate shook her head. "No sir, should I have?"

Montgomery shook his head. "Probably not, but she's made quite a name for herself. She cracked the Hudson Valley Strangler case when she was 25."

Kate glanced towards the conference room. The woman was in her early forties, attractive, and professional. "Okay. What does that have to do with me?"

"Seems she needs to speak to you," he said flatly.

"What? Why?"

"She's taken over Castle's case."

It took Kate a second to understand what he just said. "She took over…"

Sighing, he gestured over to where the agent was. "Actually the FBI took over jurisdiction."

"Why would they-"

"She didn't say, Detective, but she wants to speak to you." He didn't look very happy about it.

Leaving his office, Kate walked to the conference room. When Shaw saw her she stood up and showed her badge. "Hello, Detective Beckett. I'm Supervisory Special Agent Jordan Shaw from the FBI Behavioral Unit."

Kate looked at her credentials briefly. "My Captain said you wanted to speak to me."

"Yes. It's in regards to Richard Castle."

Kate waited to see if Shaw would give anything away in her mannerisms but the older woman remained stoic. "Why is the FBI taking over that case?"

The corners of Shaw's mouth twitched before she added, "Let's sit down, be more comfortable."

As they both took a seat, Kate repeated her question. Shaw responded, "I'm not at liberty to say, but I do need you to answer my questions."

Kate knew the drill. She'd had a couple of cases the FBI had taken over before. Granted that was before she became a lead homicide detective herself, but she still remembered how helpless she had felt.

"The victim's name is Rodger Evans. He was a maintenance man for Aircorp. Have you ever heard of him?"

"No."

"Have you ever heard Mr. Castle mention a Rodger or speak about Aircorp?"

Kate did her best to keep the annoyance out of her voice. "Aircorp is an International package courier. Of course he's mentioned it from time to time he would be waiting on a package or something, but I doubt he knows anyone that works there personally."

"How long have you and Mr. Castle worked together?"

"We didn't exactly work together."

Shaw's raised an eyebrow. "What would you call it?"

Kate sighed, not liking the implications. "He shadowed me for professional insights for about nine months."

"And it remained strictly professional?"

Kate cringed. "Yes, of course."

"How helpful was he to the investigations?"

Kate shifted uncomfortably in her chair. It was difficult to admit out loud how helpful Castle could be. "He…he was a civilian learning how things worked most of the time but he did have his insights on occasional."

"He speaks very highly of you." The younger woman almost asked what he said but reminded herself she doesn't care what Castle thought.

"Having him around could be useful at times."

Shaw nodded, "But now that the shadowing is done, he isn't needed anymore?"

Kate nodded with emphasis. She was sure they were better off without Castle around. "Right. It's almost a relief sometimes."

She saw Shaw write something down and Kate momentarily regretted. Before she could fix it, Shaw asked her next question, "What do you know of Mr. Castle's family?"

That question threw Kate; it seemed out of place. "His family? Well there is his mother, Martha. She's an actress better known for her theatre work, and his teenaged daughter, Alexis."

"And?"

"And what? That's his family."

"No other siblings?" Kate shook her head. "Cousins? Grandparents?"

Kate responded "Not that he ever mentioned."

"What about his father?"

That silenced Kate for a beat. "He doesn't have a father."

"Everyone has a father."

"But he doesn't know him, or know who he is." Kate almost cringed as she guessed the next question.

"He told you this?"

"No, it hasn't come up. But … it's common knowledge that Castle is famously fatherless."

Shaw's stare was piercing. "Common knowledge?"

"His background information, written out on his books and website." Kate cleared her throat. She really hoped Shaw wouldn't ask how much of Castle's history Kate had read.

"But just because the family says they don't know him doesn't mean they really don't know him."

Kate shook her head, "Why would they lie about something like that?"

"I'm sure in with experience, Detective," Shaw said, "You know families lie about other family members for lots of reasons."

Shaw's tone was changing and Kate didn't like it. "Yes, they do, but what does this have to do with Rodger Evans?"

"We are just looking through all of the Castle family history."

"But his father?" Kate stopped, wondering, "Was Evans. Are you suggesting that Evans is related to- "

Shaw shook her head. "As far as we can tell, there is no connection between Evans or the immediate known family of Castle."

"The known family?"

"I appreciate you answering my questions, Detective. You've been most helpful." Shaw stood up and reached out her hand.

Reluctantly Kate took it, "You're not going to ask me more about Castle himself?"

"We already have a good handle on Mr. Castle's whereabouts over the last few days. I may have more questions for later which, if I do, I'll give you a call. I got your cell phone number from your Captain." With that, Shaw walked out the door.

Kate was still staring at the retreating figure worry crossing her expression when Esposito walked in. "Yo. You okay?"

"I am," she said watching Shaw get on the elevator, already talking to someone on her cell. "But I really don't think Castle is."

* * *

"Seriously, sir, you're the one who told me she's a high ranking FBI agent so what is she doing coming to see me to get background information on Richard Castle? Why check it at all? It's obvious Castle isn't a suspect anymore, which he shouldn't be. I mean, Castle is a pain in the ass but he's not a killer, not like this. But why waste time looking up specifics about Castle's history? And why come to me? They are the FBI, they have better ways of looking this up. Something is going on."

Roy watched with amusement as his protégée paced back and forth in his office. For the last half hour she had been listing out reasons why Shaw's appearance bothered her and spelled doom for the Evans murder. Kate used to not get so rattled until she started working with Richard Castle. Once he pushed his way into her life she'd spent lots of time trying to convince him that having the author around was not worth it, no matter how much the Mayor insisted.

But this time she was upset on Castle's behalf, which was new. She didn't want to admit it, but she clearly was concerned about him. When Castle screwed up a couple of weeks ago, everyone was angry at him, Roy especially. He was the last person who wanted to see Kate involved in her mother's case again, but he actually missed the writer around the precinct. And he wasn't the only one. Ryan, Esposito, and he guessed Kate did too. And whether she even realized it or not, he made a good part of their homicide team.

Now Castle was in trouble and Shaw's presence and questions proved something bigger was going on.

"She said she was part of the behavioral unit, right?" Kate asked.

Roy nodded. "She leads one of their divisions."

"Well, they only get involved when serial killers are-" Kate stopped. "Do you think they have some reason to believe the murderer is a serial killer?"

He didn't like the idea. "She's a profiler, Kate, and has caught dozens over the years. So I don't know why else she would be here."

"So why ask about Castle's family?"

"My first thought was he or his family is a target. You told me the body was hung from the ceiling. That takes time and effort. It's hard to imagine one person doing that alone but it is possible. If so, the location has to be very important."

Kate slumped down in one of Roy's chairs. She knew he was right. The likelihood that Castle was a target was a real possibility. "He came here earlier. Wanted me to help him."

"Help him how?"

"He wanted me to try to take over the investigation from Troy and Jones. I told him that it didn't work like that."

Roy had to chuckle. He could imagine how little Rick cared about how things worked. "And?"

"And I told him to leave. That I wouldn't help him." She couldn't meet Roy's eyes. "That I didn't want to."

Roy knew her better than that. "But you do."

"Sir, he had no right to …" She couldn't finish. "He was so far out of line. I had every right to kick him out."

"You did. It's why I was willing to fight the Mayor when he called."

"Thank you," she said, now making eye contact.

Roy sighed. He needed her to know something. "But you know what?"

"What?"

"The Mayor never called."

She didn't respond. Castle could have used his connections to keep coming in and there was probably nothing Roy could do about it. Castle had tried to talk to Kate but ultimately he respected her decision.

"Kate, what do you want to do?"

"Help him," she said, then quickly added, "For Alexis' sake. And Martha's too."

Roy knew better than to call her out on her denial. Instead he said, "You know those connections with the Mayor can go both ways. While the FBI are leads on this, I can make a call and ask if he can push you to be the NYPD liaison on this case."

"Would the Mayor be able to talk them into it?" Kate asked.

"Oh, sure. The FBI needs to make nice to the locals across all departments. I'm sure they will have stipulations about your involvement, but if Castle is connected to the murderer you may be able to help them out. Plus His Honor is very good at talking people into doing something they don't want to do."

Kate scowled at that. She certainly knew. But she hoped it would help with Agent Shaw.

* * *

_Author's Note: Please review! They inspire me to write faster!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter three  
A/N: I'm posting earlier. I love reading reviews and as I said, they inspire me to write more often. So if you like my story, I'd love to hear from you._

* * *

Kate knocked on the door to Castle's loft. Crime scene tape was strewn across the hallway and an NYPD uniform who was posted there nodded when he recognized Kate. Whatever the FBI was doing now, they were still allowing the NYPD be a part of it. Hopefully this meant there wouldn't be an issue with her joining the investigation.

The door opened and it was Martha. "Oh Detective Beckett, I'm so glad it's you! I was worried more of those awful agents were back. Please come in."

"Hi Martha. Please, call me Kate." Kate walked in and scanned the room for Castle. She was sure he couldn't have missed Martha's loud greeting . When the writer didn't appear right away, Kate asked. "Is Castle here?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Martha said sadly. Kate turned to look at the older woman, noticing worry across her face. "He's been with them all day."

"Them?"

"After Richard got back this morning, I think from visiting you," Martha started, studying Kate closely, "He wasn't back 10 minutes before there was a knock at the door and two men in suits were here. They flashed some sort of badge and asked for him to go with them."

Kate tried not to show any emotion on her face. "How did the men look?"

"Serious."

"Is my Dad going to be alright?" came Alexis' voice when she walked down the stairs. Kate guessed the girl had listened to the conversation.

Before Kate could respond, Martha said, "Richard told us this is just typical procedure."

Obviously that was for his daughter's benefit, but Alexis was not easily fooled. "Is it that typical for the FBI come in? Why are they here?"

"I don't know, Alexis, but I'm going to try to figure this out." Kate's words seemed to pacify the girl for now, but Martha knew things weren't that simple.

"Well, I think they said he would be taken to the police station. I guess it wasn't yours."

Kate shook her head, "No, he was probably taken to the 13th. The FBI sets up shop at the original precinct that took the call."

Alexis didn't look happy with that answer but chose to accept it. "Are you going to head there to check on Dad?"

"Yes, Alexis," Kate said, "I am."

"Good, I hate to think he'd be up there alone. He wouldn't let us go with him."

Kate nodded. "He was right. I'm sure it will be a lot of waiting around with boring questions."

Alexis held Kate's gaze but then walked away, saying she hoped the detective was right. Kate wondered how much Alexis knew about why Castle was no longer working with her.

Martha took Kate by the shoulders. She whispered to Kate so her granddaughter wouldn't hear. "Listen, my dear, they did question me."

"They did? What did they ask?"

Martha and she were opening the door and Martha looked over her shoulder to make sure Alexis was out of earshot. "It was strange. It was about Richard's father."

"Oh." That again. What was going on?

"Honestly, Det-, I mean Kate, I do not know who he is. He and I were ships that passed in the night. By the time I realized I was pregnant I was in a whole different city…"

Kate shook her head, trying to ease the older woman's fears. "You don't have to explain to me, Martha. I don't know what that has to do with anything but they are probably just covering all their bases."

Martha's look was very similar to Alexis' earlier one and Kate could see the family resemblance. "Thank you, my dear. I know that things ended between you and Richard rather badly so the fact you're here to help at all means so much."

"Please, Martha," Kate said, her voice sounding strained. She didn't want to think about Castle digging into her mom's murder right then. "No need to talk about that. Castle is many things, but I know he's not capable of this."

Martha's expression changed more positively at Kate's words. With nothing more to add, Kate said goodbye and walked out the door. Her phone rang and it was the Captain.

"Beckett," Kate answered.

"The Mayor has done his magic. You are in with the FBI, though Agent Shaw said she wanted to see you immediately when you showed up at the 13th."

"I'm on my way now, sir," Kate said, saying a quick prayer.

* * *

"I'm really surprised, Detective, you weren't involved in the investigation _before_ I showed up at your desk."

Since arriving at the station, Kate had been confronted by Agent Shaw and was taken to an empty room where they could "talk" over her role. Shaw obviously didn't like how Kate had butted into the investigation. Her take was that something was going on between Kate and Castle, which Kate made very clear was not the case.

"I assure you my interest is in helping the Castle family and trying to catch a dangerous killer. If his target is Richard Castle, then maybe I can be of use to you as well as provide additional protection for him and his family, if necessary." Kate emphasized "his family" hoping it would help cement that she was not personally involved with him.

Shaw studied the detective for a few minutes, clearly mulling something over in her mind. Eventually she said, "Okay, Detective, you're in. But I want to make this crystal clear, I'm in control of this investigation and you are here out of courtesy. Your relationship with Mr. Castle," Kate reacted to the phrase and Shaw immediately stretched her hand out to keep Kate from interrupting, "whatever it is, is more likely going to get in the way of what is going on here."

"I assure you, I will not compromise—"

"Just remember that we are trying to keep this quiet. I take leaks very seriously and since you aren't a member of my team, I'm going to be looking at you very closely. One unauthorized word becomes public knowledge and you are off this case."

"You won't have a problem from me."

"This includes Richard Castle too, Detective."

Kate shook her head. "Castle does have a big mouth, but he takes his family's safety very seriously—"

"I mean keeping information _from_ Mr. Castle."

Kate narrowed her eyes at that. "Excluding him from the investigation when he may be the target is "

"Oh he will be helping us, though not at the same level he is accustomed to when he worked with you." Shaw said the last part a little heavier than Kate would like but the older woman went on. "But I choose what he should know and what he shouldn't."

Kate wanted to argue but knew what Shaw was saying wasn't completely out of line. Still, she didn't like lying to Castle and hoped it wouldn't come to that. "I understand."

Shaw seemed pacified and gestured for Kate to follow her. "Good, we've been interrogating Mr. Castle these past few hours to see whether he had an active role in this killing or any others."

"And did he pass?" Kate tried to keep the anger out of her voice.

"Yes, he did. He also took a polygraph." Agent Shaw said as she stopped outside the interrogation room. "He passed that too. He's in there. I'll be back shortly."

Kate had a snide remark planned to say to the agent but the door had opened and she caught sight of her former shadow. He looked exhausted. He had some coffee in front of him as he sat at the table, holding his head in his hands. He hardly registered the door had opened.

"Castle?" Kate asked.

This got him to jerk, whipping his head around to look at her. "Beckett? What are … what are you doing here?"

She sat down next to him, her eyes never leaving his. He looked scared. "I, uh, well, I just finished speaking to Agent Shaw."

"Oh," he said, rubbing his face. "Are they talking to you about me? I swear this has been the longest day of my life."

"I'm sorry. I know this is hard." Castle gave her a look that unsettled her, so she added, "For your family I mean."

"Yeah. I hope Alexis isn't worrying about me. She didn't like it when they came and got me this morning."

Kate felt a surge of emotion she wasn't used to feeling, especially around Castle, and she did her best to ignore it. "I understand you took a polygraph test."

He leaned back in the chair. "Yeah. I've always wanted to take one but now I regret ever wishing it."

Kate nodded. "What kind of questions did they ask you?"

"That's the weird thing," he said, taking a sip of his coffee then making a sour face, clearly not liking it. "It started off with your typical questions, my alibi, information connected to Evans and Aircorp. But then it got into my family history. They asked me about my dad's side of the family. They spent a long time on that and I ran out of variations of 'I don't know' ".

"Really?" Kate thought to what Martha said earlier, why were the FBI so focused on his parentage?

" 'To the best of your recollection have you ever had reason to believe you had met your father?' " Castle said. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Kate sighed, "I wish I knew Castle, but the FBI sometimes has their own agenda."

He smiled at her, "You know, you're the friendliest face I've seen since I got here."

She returned his smile, noting again how tired he looked.

"You should have taken me up on that offer this morning."

"What offer?" Kate asked.

"The one where you could be in charge of the investigation." He was now sitting up straighter.

"Actually…"

"Because you'd now be off the hook," he said. From her questioning look he explained, "With the FBI taking over jurisdiction you'd have been able to kick me and the Nikki Heat books out of your life with barely a day of hard work put in."

"Actually, that's why I'm here." When he didn't ask her what she meant, Kate continued, "I'm going to be a part of the investigation. I am going to help you."

Now Castle's face brightened. "Really? You're going to help me?"

"You and your family. That's why I'm here." She almost cringed when she realized she repeated herself.

For a second Kate thought she saw sincere gratitude spread across his face, but then his trademark smug expression appeared. "Really worried about me, weren't you?"

Tensing, Kate said, "Not you. I'm here actually for Martha and Alexis."

"Right, Martha and Alexis. I missed you too."

Leaning in, Kate glared. "Let me remind you when we have solved this, I'm holding you to your promise. The one you made this morning."

His smile faltered. "Where I leave you alone forever?"

"Right, you leave me alone, which includes anything related to Nikki Heat."

Before he could respond, the door opened. In walked Agent Shaw and two other agents. Sitting down across from them, she took out a folder. "I know you are wondering why the FBI has been called in for this case."

"Called in?" Kate asked, "I thought you just took over."

Shaw shrugged, "The BAU, or Behavioral Analysis Unit, had been contacted by the medical examiner's office after they submitted the DNA found on the body for comparison. The results came in and were a direct link to other homicides."

Castle was confused, "Other homicides? How many?"

"At least forty-two." Shaw replied matter of factly.

"Forty-two?" Both Kate and Castle exclaimed simultaneously, shocked.

Shaw nodded, "Yes, over the last twenty years the BAU has been following a serial killer who has purposely left his DNA on bodies. Each victim was different than the last: sex, race, sexual orientation, age, profession."

Castle was confused. "You never caught him? Here in New York?"

"No, Mr. Castle," Shaw shook her head. "His first killing was here in New York, but that was twenty years ago. Since then he has popped up across the country in different cities and states. He only kills every six months and as I said, the targeted victims are very random, making it very difficult to find him."

Kate asked, "How do you know he's the same guy?"

"Well, he does leave his DNA on the body. On purpose, as I think he's arrogant enough to think he'll never be caught. Also, he has a particular signature for each victim that has been consistent through every victim except this last one."

Castle shook his head. "His last one is this one. What makes it different, other than including me?"

Shaw leaned back in her chair. "He hung this one upside down, he's not done that before. But the materials he used, other than additional ones he needed for rigging the body are a match to his earlier crimes."

Both Kate and Castle looked at each other. Kate asked. "So who is?"

Shaw drew a breath; she knew they would recognize his name. "He's the serial killer known as Gulliver."

* * *

_A/N: So, what did you think?_


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

_Author's Note: Criminal Minds has obviously influenced me_.

* * *

Both Kate and Castle were silent when Shaw named Gulliver. Gulliver was a nickname given to the most notorious and still at large serial killer in the US. For the last twenty years, he had killed a victim every six months, each in a different city. The victims seemed selected randomly: there was a post office worker in Boise, an IT consultant in Sacramento, a doctor in Las Vegas, even a hair dresser in Dallas.

His crisscrossing over the country had proven most effective in keeping anyone from tracking him. He had never killed in the same city, except now, since New York was the first city he started.

Castle was the first to speak since he had done some research on the well-known serial killer. "I thought... I thought he laid his victims down, face up, after death. Evans was hung upside down. I remember because it seemed too twisted, even for one of my books."

"Studied this killer, have you, Mr. Castle?" Shaw narrowed her eyes at him.

"That's what he does," Kate said in Castle's defense. She was still in shock over who they thought the killer was. "I may not be an FBI profiler, but I know these guys don't change their methods like this."

Shaw shook her head. "It's not unheard of for them to change their signatures, but I admit he is unusual. But we are sure, and not just by the DNA. The rope he used is identical to other victims."

"It is?" Castle said. "What kind of …"

"It's nothing traceable, unfortunately. However, it's not what one uses normally to hang a heavy object." She pulled out pictures of previous crime scenes. "What's interesting, actually almost fascinating, is the body is displayed almost exactly like his previous victims, just from the ceiling."

Castle and Kate went through the pictures. Not all the crime scene photographs were laid out but there were at least a dozen. Sure enough, the rope was crisscrossed over each victim. From a distance it looked like a morbid illustration of Gulliver being tied up by the tiny people in the novel.

Castle pushed the pictures away, looking disgusted. "Yeah, fascinating."

Kate glanced over at him. Normally such a case would thrill him and he'd be throwing out theory after theory, each more preposterous than the last. Kate could see Castle appeared quite the opposite and she wondered if he was thinking about Alexis.

"We've determined how long, approximately, it took for him to stage the body. At least four hours." Shaw opened a folder to read more details. "He had to use the service elevator to bring the body up. Some sort of cart would've had to have been used. And he needed a ladder and tools."

"Nobody saw anything?" Castle asked.

"A witness did see a plain white van in the alley next to your building that evening. They did not see the driver."

Kate asked, "I guess we aren't lucky enough to get a license plate."

"Probably wouldn't have done any good," came the voice of a young man. He'd come in with Shaw and another agent and so far gone unnoticed by Castle and Kate. Now all eyes were on him. "Twenty percent of the time, when a witness could give us a license plate number, it always traced back to a stolen license plate. He's very organized and probably needs to keep the same van but over the years has changed out the license plate with a local plate he's stolen."

Kate nodded and glanced at Castle, surprised to see how intently he was staring at the young man.

"Who are you?" Castle asked.

Shaw sat up straighter, "Sorry, this is Dr. Reid Spencer, and over there is Agent Charles-"

"I know you," Castle interrupted. "We met before."

The young man didn't deny Castle's charge_,_ and glanced over at his boss briefly before answering. "Yes, Mr. Castle. It was four months ago."

Castle also looked over at Shaw, then back to Spencer. "I was in the doctor's office. My mother was getting her eyes dilated and she wanted me to take her home. You were there in the waiting room. I thought you were waiting on someone, too."

"You remember that?" Kate asked, hoping against her gut it was a coincidence.

"Yeah, I remember. He asked me a whole bunch of questions."

Spencer smiled and sat down, trying to shrug it off. "Occupational hazard. I can't help but be overly inquisitive, even to complete strangers."

Castle wasn't buying it. "Like hell. You asked me about my mom. My family history."

It was clear to Kate that something else was going on. Shaw remained poker faced, but the young man clearly wasn't used to being confronted in such a way.

Castle went on, "I thought it was so weird, what started off as a friendly conversation turned really personal. But when my mom came out we left and I forgot about it."

Shaw interrupted, "I think we should stick to the matter at hand. What we know is there was an unidentified van outside of Mr. Castle's building the night of May 13th. Mr. Castle and his family retired to bed at 11 pm, which was confirmed by his daughter and mother. It would take one man four to five hours to hang the body and to get it into position probably took an hour. The paper arrived after 5 am."

Kate noted Castle was still staring at Spencer and probably wasn't listening. She nudged him with her arm and his eyes shot back to the agent.

"Let's go over access into your building."

"Everyone who comes in meets the doorman and there's a front desk for unknown visitors," Castle said.

Kate asked, "What about people in service? Package deliveries, maintenance people? I have never noticed them in the front lobby."

"No, no, I guess, that's where the service elevator comes in," Castle said, rubbing his temples.

Shaw pulled out another piece of paper. "That's been confirmed by Mr. Ellis, the superintendent of your building. Occasional services come through a service entrance but it's monitored and they sign in. However, regular service personnel are given an entry card key to enter at will."

Kate sat up straighter for that, "So you have a record of who came in without access that night?"

Shaw shook her head. "Unfortunately no. The computer system that records the information has been stolen. He actually took the system with him."

"Wonderful," Castle said, getting up. He walked over to the wall to lean on it.

"I still have a few more questions, Mr. Castle."

"I'm not leaving, I just need to get out of that chair."

Kate had to suppress a smile, feeling the need to explain, "Castle doesn't like to sit in one spot for too long."

"Except next to your desk," Shaw said, forcing Kate to frown. "Or so I've heard."

There was a knock at the door and everyone's attention turned to yet another FBI agent coming in, a woman. "Jordan, can you come out here please?"

Shaw nodded, saying now was a good time for a break. All three agents left. Kate stood up and walked over to Castle. "Hey."

"Hey," he replied back. "Those chairs in here are murder on my back."

Kate's eyebrow twitched, expecting Castle to be setting up for one of his jokes. When he said nothing else, Kate said, "About Dr. Spencer."

"Yeah."

"What kind of questions did he ask?"

Castle leaned his head back, trying to recall. "At first, he asked me if he knew me and I just thought he was a fan. He did know a lot of my books."

Kate nodded and Castle went on. "He asked how I come up with such plots for my books. It's not an unusual question but he spent a lot of time on it. I told him I did a lot of research."

"A lot of research," Kate said sarcastically, thinking of Castle trying to reopen her mother's case.

"But he mentioned it's not like I really got to speak to murderers themselves and my books were so good at getting into a killer's mind. I told him I'd interviewed some killers … a long time ago. But he was right, it was something I'd have to guess how a killer is."

Castle turned his head, lowering his voice. "Honestly I don't remember a lot of what we spoke about, but he did ask me about my mom. Our life and what it was like growing up the son of an actress, one who struggled most of the time."

Kate listened taking it all in. Martha was questioned by the FBI, too, though more casually. Why all this interest in Castle's family? While it was common to cross check a person of interest's family history, this was something else. And Spencer approached Castle four months ago? Did they know Gulliver was onto Castle?

Kate now realized she was standing very close to the writer. Originally she wanted to just whisper between them as she didn't necessarily want anyone else to overhear. But somehow she had practically gotten into his personal space.

"Let me go and see what is going on now," Kate said, her body physically relaxing now that there was some distance between them.

He started to say something to her, but changed his mind, and she went out the door.

Outside the room, Kate saw Shaw and several agents discussing something. When she walked up they stopped talking, immediately putting Kate on edge. "Can we help you, detective?"

"Yeah, you can help me by explaining what the hell is going on."

The agents just blinked at Kate but she didn't back down. "Why would you send in an agent to personally talk to Castle?"

"I don't know what you mean, Detective," Shaw said, which only further convinced Kate further.

"I'm a part of this investigation now, and there is something more to all of this you are keeping from me and especially Castle."

Shaw took Kate's arm, gently pulling her to the side. "Look, I told you we would work together on this, but right now, this isn't something you need to know."

"Really? Does Castle need to know? Because it sounds like it involves him directly."

"I'm not at liberty to say right now."

What the hell was this? "Listen, Shaw, if Castle or his family is being specifically targeted by a serial killer, you better let us know so we can issue some protection for him, for them, immediately."

"That is being taken care of right now, but we still have a few things to cover first."

Kate was momentarily taken aback. Were her worst fears realized and Castle, Martha and Alexis all in danger? If so, why were they waiting?

Shaw walked away and back into the conference room where Castle sat. Her team went in ahead of her and she glanced back at Kate, "Are you coming?"

Kate wanted to reply, _"You bet your ass,"_ but instead she followed with, "Of course."

* * *

_This chapter was hard to get out. It's heavy on the procedural and I hope it sounds reasonably realistic. Reviews make my world go 'round so I really appreciate hearing from you._


	5. Chapter 5

_Gulliver's travels_

_Chapter Five_

_Author's note: I used a story that Nathan Fillion told on a talk show for the family scene. It sounded very much like something Castle would do._

* * *

Sitting back down, Kate looked at Castle. Off his expression, she could tell he was curious about what Kate had said outside the room with the agents. Kate eyed Shaw, who was looking over her shoulder at the rest of her team. The blonde woman, who had interrupted them before, was now there plus another agent. Shaw introduced them briefly. They had already met Dr. Spencer, and Agent Charles Newman had been there before though not properly introduced. The blonde woman was Agent Jennifer Roberts and the last agent's name was Raymond Paul.

"I want you to get to know these people, Mr. Castle, because you will need to know them very well."

"Why?" he asked.

Shaw didn't answer right away but shared a brief glance with Kate, who steeled herself for whatever Shaw needed to tell them. "It's clear that it wasn't a coincidence your residence was chosen to display the victim. The killer has an interest in you."

Castle took what she said in, making a fist with his left hand. "In me? Or my family? Because it was my daughter who found the body."

"It seems to be you but your family is a part of you so-"

"Of course my family is a part of me!" he interrupted, voice rising in anger. "Why me? What have I got to do with him?"

Shaw's features softened, like she empathized. "It could be a number of things. Gulliver has never gotten personal like this before, at least not that we know. Maybe you've gotten his attention in one of your novels. Your earlier works were loosely based on real crimes."

"Yeah, but_,_ those are over ten years ago. And my crime scenes were my own imaginings and certainly nothing like what he's done."

"That we know of," Shaw repeated.

Kate watched Castle fidget in his chair. He looked like he had a thousand things to say but couldn't focus on just one. She'd read all of Castle's books and nothing seemed connected to Gulliver in the slightest. "I don't buy that. Why focus on Castle now? He's written a dozen Derrick Storm novels since then and they are more spy novels than murder mysteries."

Agent Roberts, the blonde, offered a suggestion. "What about what you are working on now? It's been widely reported you're his new project and … inspiration."

All eyes trained on Kate, which annoyed her. Castle shook his head, "Anything I write will be based on the latest cases Beckett and I have worked on. If that has upset him, I don't know how he knows about it because I've not submitted anything to my editor yet. Nobody knows what the book is going to actually cover."

"Still," Agent Paul said, "it wouldn't be difficult to find out what cases you 'consulted' with the NYPD and if anything may relate directly to Gulliver."

"You think one of our cases may link directly to Gulliver?" Kate asked.

The agent was about to reply but Castle interrupted. "Sometimes I was more active than just consulting."

Agent Paul practically rolled his eyes and condescendingly said, "Right. But the point is–"

"I was helpful. I was very helpful. I think I was vital, right?" Castle looked over at Kate who didn't meet his eyes.

Now all eyes on her, Kate said, "Yes. Sometimes."

Agent Paul looked over at Shaw. "I'm sorry, I'm confused. I thought you said Detective Beckett was relieved when he quit following her."

Castle kept staring at Kate, watching her for a reaction. Her flinch told him what he needed to know. Glancing back at Agent Paul, Castle said, "Well, then we better clear up that I didn't quit but was asked to leave."

Kate gripped her hands, desperately wanting to remind Castle he butted his nose in the one place he wasn't allowed. The presence of Shaw's team was the only thing keeping her mouth shut on the subject.

"To answer your question, Detective," Shaw spoke, reeling the conversation in, "It could be a link to cases you worked on together. We suspected Gulliver had a home town he went to and New York was one of the possibilities. We think NYPD sniffing around has gotten too close for his comfort."

"But if we did get close, we didn't make any connection. He's still not in the system, I still don't understand why he is fixating on Castle."

Castle was glaring at Kate. "Especially since I'm not longer a part of helping the NYPD."

Shaw brought up. "Right now I'm more interested in what will happen than what has happened."

Dr. Spencer stepped forward, "What we hope is that singling out the Castle family has taken him out of his comfort zone. If he has ties here, now we may have a real chance to see what he does next that may result in possible missteps."

It took a moment for Spencer's words to take effect, but Castle finally realized what the younger man was saying. "Does next? So you think he isn't finished?"

Kate closed her eyes as all the agents unanimously agreed he wasn't done. "So what do we do now?"

"I've made arrangements to move your family to a safe place," Shaw said, shuffling some papers. "You will be under FBI protection for now."

"Under FBI…" Castle started, he approached the table. "What does that mean exactly?"

"You and your family will be moved to an FBI approved location. We've already taken steps," Agent Roberts said, at least looking sympathetic.

Castle narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean you've already taken steps?"

Dr. Spencer cleared his throat, "While we were outside we gave the go ahead to head to your loft and assist your mother and daughter in packing necessary items. You will have to vacate your home for the next few weeks."

"What? You expect us to leave our home?" Castle clearly was not happy about the situation. "You can't just make a decision like that without speaking to us about it."

Shaw leaned back, "Well, there was the assumption you would take whatever steps necessary to protect your family. We can't guarantee any protection where you are now."

"Of course I want my family protected but still, I'd have liked to tell them myself. I can't imagine what Alexis must be thinking right now…"

Trying to calm him, Kate reached out and grasped his arm. "Castle, it's for the best."

"I know that, Detective," he said icily. However, he took a moment and regained some composure, obviously realizing the situation was out of his control the moment Gulliver zeroed in on him. Looking back at everyone, he nodded with an "Okay."

From there everyone scattered. There was a lot of work to do. Castle was permitted to head back to his loft with Agent Newman and Kate. By then, Alexis and Martha were gone and Castle was still upset that he couldn't have told his family this news himself. Agent Newman was a man of few words, so he could do little to offer Castle any appeasement.

Castle went into his bedroom to pack a bag, leaving Kate and Newman out in the living room. Castle had said nothing to her on the way there. If he thought she was going to apologize for what she said to Shaw he was wrong.

Looking over at Newman, Kate wondered if he would be interested in sharing details they were obviously keeping from them. "How long have you been with Agent Shaw?"

He looked at her like he knew where this was going. "Over a year now."

"So you've worked on the Gulliver's case then?"

"Yes, this will be his third victim since I joined her team," he said, glancing past Kate to see if he could see Castle.

"Never gets easy does it?"

"No."

Since he wasn't offering anything extra, Kate directly asked. "So do you like working for Agent Shaw?"

Again, he gave nothing away. "Yes."

Realizing this could take all day, Kate said, "Look, I know you're loyal to her and your job, but I am too. I take this threat against Castle very seriously."

The man never broke eye contact with her. "We do too, Detective."

"So why are you not sharing everything?"

"I don't know what you mean." Now he broke eye contact which convinced Kate she was right.

"Agent Newman, Dr. Spencer sought Castle out months ago. You can't tell me that's coincidence. And all these questions on Castle's family obviously are leading somewhere. I need to know where."

He shrugged. "If you have a problem with this investigation, you will have to ask, Agent Shaw. But Mr. Castle doesn't seem to notice anything is wrong."

She stepped closer to him, not intimidated by his size. "That's because Mr. Castle is understandably distracted about protecting his family. I assure you he will start to put the pieces together and even if he doesn't, I'll help him."

Agent Newman almost sneered, "Maybe, but he doesn't look like he's interested in talking to you at the moment, does it?"

Kate's mouth dropped. So they planned to upset Castle and try to add distance. Fury stirred within her but she didn't have time to say anything back since Castle had a bag and was standing at the door. "I'm ready."

The FBI had set the family up in another apartment. When they arrived, Castle immediately headed to Alexis to give her a hug and the girl was very glad to see him. Martha openly welcomed everyone, but Agent Newman said since there was an agent at the door and Detective Beckett was there, he would head back to the 13th to work on the case.

After a few minutes of seeing his family, Castle turned to Kate. "You sure you don't want to go with him? You can't do much investigating here."

Kate had been expecting this but was shocked at how painful it was to hear. Thoughts of that day at the hospital to when he confessed to looking into her mom's murder resurfaced and she wanted to tell him he was lucky to remain at the 12th as long as he did. Before she could answer, Alexis reminded her why she was really here. "Oh, Dad, can't Detective Beckett stay? I'd feel better."

Castle looked like he wanted to argue with his daughter but at looking at her nervous face, he gave in.

Martha nodded. "Well good. I imagine you are hungry. They let us stop and get groceries and I think it will do us some good if we cook. Kate, do you think you could cut some carrots?"

"Of course, Martha," Kate said, trying to forget about the argument for the moment. In spite of this tension between them, Castle relaxed now in the company of his family. Within minutes he and Alexis had worked out a system on preparing the appetizers and dessert while Martha prepared the main meal.

Over the next hour, Kate watched as Castle managed to keep the reality of their situation out of their minds. It was clear he didn't want to trouble them. When Alexis asked what the long term plan was, Castle told her that they would know more in the morning but for now they would have to make the best of it.

"You mean, like we had to make the best of it when we had to move out of the loft after you caused fire damage?"

"What?" Kate asked, while she got out the plates to set the table. "When was this?"

Castle shrugged, "Oh, it was years ago."

"I was 11," Alexis said. "And you had to go to the hospital."

"It was a minor burn," he said, but smiling at his daughter with affection.

Martha joined in, "Oh Richard, you couldn't shake hands for a week."

Forgetting herself, Kate laughed. "What did you do?"

Seeing all the women were teaming up against him, Castle explained, "I was learning how to weld. Seemed like a cool thing to get into. And I was about to complete a masterpiece of artwork when unfortunately some sparks got away from me."

Alexis rolled her eyes, "Masterpiece? Dad, it looked like a melted wheelbarrow."

"That was after the fire. Before it was really cool. It was, um, what was it? I'm thinking…" Castle was deep in thought and Kate tried to ignore how adorable he looked when he was being so silly.

"I guess we'll never know," Martha said, shaking her head.

Castle turned to Kate with a grin. "You know, when you tell people you can't shake their hand because of a welding injury, you get such a look of respect. It's impressive."

"Is it?" she said, still smiling. They held each other's gaze and Castle finally broke it, going to get the rest of the food so they could sit down and eat. Kate noticed he sat down next to her and for some inexplicable reason, her heart beat quickened.

The mood remained lively during dinner as Martha shared stories of being an actress but also a single mother. Castle's version of the stories always conflicted with hers, which kept Kate and especially Alexis from dwelling on the situation. After dinner, Kate insisted on helping with the dishes. Martha joined her while Castle kept sitting with Alexis.

Alone in the kitchen, Kate found her eyes always focusing on the father and daughter. When she missed Martha handing her a plate to clean, Martha commented, "We're going to be fine. At least for tonight."

Embarrassed to be caught staring, Kate tried to cover, "I'm sure. Yes. I just am glad Alexis isn't terribly upset about the circumstances."

Martha nodded. "She had her moments earlier today but now that she sees her Dad is safe and sound she can relax. But she is tougher than she looks."

"I can see that." Again, she glanced out to see Castle hugging Alexis triggering Kate to smile. "I can also see how she thinks the world of her dad."

Martha laughed. "Oh yes. Sometimes Richard will be the immature one but overall he's a wonderful father. I couldn't be prouder."

Silence fell between them then, as Kate didn't know what else to say. Most of the time she saw that immaturity to which Martha spoke, but he clearly had a whole other side to him and it was so nice to see it, especially after a day like they had.

Alexis called into the kitchen, "I'm going to go to bed, goodnight, Gram. Goodnight Detective."

"Kate, please!" she reminded her. "And goodnight."

"Well the dishes are done," Martha said. She poured herself a nightcap and grabbed a book. "I'm going to head to bed now. Thank you Kate for … everything." She clearly did not just mean the dishes.

Kate blushed and said goodnight after her. Castle leaned over and kissed his mother on the cheek and she patted his shoulder.

Now that they were alone, the tension was back and Kate knew it should be her who should speak.

"Castle," she began, "what Agent Paul said earlier…"

Castle shook his head. "It's okay. I get it. You have nothing to apologize for."

"Me apologize?"

Castle looked confused. "Yea. You obviously didn't mean to make it sound like you were glad I left, but Shaw just took it that way…"

"Let's get something straight here, Castle," Kate said, "I'm here to keep you safe from a serial killer? Got that? And it's not just you. I'd hate for anything to happen to Martha or Alexis."

He got that smug grin on his face again, and it was all she could do not to storm out of the building. He actually kept his mouth shut for once, but the smirk was more than enough to piss her off. She was going to be so happy when this was all over, especially when she told him she was calling in his promise of backing completely off forever.

"I'll see you tomorrow if you live long enough."

He got in the way of the door, whining, "Now, Detective, don't you want to spend the night? I promise I'll behave, unless you don't want me to?"

Is it impossible for him not acting like a jackass for one day? "Move away, Castle, or the FBI will have one less person to protect."

Castle knew her tone well enough to know he needed to stop. "Right. Well, until tomorrow, Detective."

Shaking her head, she called over her shoulder, "Goodnight, Castle."

Out on the street, a man watched as Kate hailed a cab. While she got in, his eyes scanned the street and he easily spotted the FBI detail. Their vehicle alone gave them away, but their attention on the leaving detective was another indicator. He had to hold back a chuckle, sometimes people made it so easy.

* * *

_Thank you to those who are reading. Please review!_


	6. Chapter 6

Gulliver's Travels  
Chapter 6

* * *

Kate stepped out of the shower, grabbing her towel to dry off. She had gotten up extra early so she could head into the station and talk privately to Shaw. She wanted answers; it was so clear they had information to which neither she nor Castle were privy. She just wasn't sure how to get the FBI to cooperate.

She stepped out of the bathroom and heard her cell phone. It was Castle calling, probably to get an early start at annoying her for the day.

When she answered, Castle was frantic. She could hardly understand what he was saying. "Slow down, Castle. What is it?"

"We got a letter. It was on our door, addressed to me. It's from him, Kate. Gulliver!"

What? "Where ... where's the guard?"

"He's not here. Shaw says they don't know where he is."

She was headed out the door when she asked. "What about the car detail out on the street?"

"Oh, they're still there. They gave me a lecture for running out to them because 'it might give them away.' They radioed Shaw and some of her people are canvasing around already."

"Castle, I'll be there as soon as I can. Twenty minutes tops."

"He was right there outside the door. Our door. And the letter was addressed to me."

Kate cringed at his tone. He was freaked and she couldn't blame him.

Kate came into the apartment after flashing her badge. It seemed all of Shaw's team were around. Roberts and Spencer were downstairs interviewing people in the lobby. Paul was out in the alley with some uniforms canvassing and Newman was standing next to Shaw. Castle and his family were on the couch. Castle was talking animatedly with Shaw and Newman. Alexis sat next to her father with her arms crossed looking more exhausted than frightened. Martha's eyes focused on Kate and she reached over and touched her son's arm to let him know him Kate had arrived.

Kate walked over to them but Castle had already stood up. "They can't find him. The FBI person. His name was Franklin, wasn't it?"

Shaw nodded, looking upset. "He was from the New York office, assigned to help us. He took the shift starting at 10."

Martha answered, "Yes, he knocked on the door to let us know. I hadn't fallen asleep yet so I poked my head out and saw he was speaking to Richard."

"Yeah, he was a nice guy. He actually had read several of my bo-," Castle stopped, not able to continue.

Agent Newman glared at him, "So you liked him because he was a fan? If your books hadn't impressed him so much would you even know his name?"

Castle gritted his teeth and leaned towards the agent but Kate instinctively reached out and put her hand on his chest to prevent him from moving closer. The agent was out of line and Shaw was already taking care of him. Pulling his arm, Shaw said, "Agent Newman, follow me over here please."

Castle's eyes watched them walk away, his scowl still present. Kate whispered, "Don't worry about him, Castle. It's going to be okay."

"Is it?" His eyes turned to her and there was an intensity Kate wasn't use to seeing. "He found us here. He left something for me and he took a 6 foot tall FBI agent with him when he left."

"We'll get him, Castle." They stared at each other for longer than necessary. Kate realized her hand was still on his chest. Taking it back, she stepped away. "Where is the letter?"

"They took it. Had to process it for evidence, you know." The writer's tone was sarcastic.

"Right. Do you remember what it said?"

Glancing at his family, Kate realized he didn't want to say it in front of them. Taking the hint, Martha asked Alexis if she wanted something to drink.

The teenager glared at her grandmother. "I'm not a child. Dad doesn't want to say in front of me."

"It's not that, sweetheart, I just think…"

"No, it's fine. I don't want to know actually." Alexis stood up and stomped off without making eye contact with anyone. Martha shared a knowing look with her son and followed.

Castle watched them walk away and went back to sit down on the couch, his posture looking defeated. Kate sat down next to him, and leaned in. "She'll be alright; she'll get this through this."

"You don't know that." Tears were shining in his eyes but he blinked them away. "Gulliver has been dodging the authorities for 20 years. He's obviously good at it."

"He hasn't tried to dodge us though, has he?" she smiled, hoping it would tempt him to return it.

It didn't. Taking a breath, he answered her earlier question, "The letter didn't say much at all. It said, 'Rick, it's been a pleasure reading your work. Soon we will be meeting. I look forward to it very much.' It was unsigned."

"That's very cryptic and formal."

"Yeah, that FBI kid thinks it's in some kind of code. Once forensics is done analyzing it he will try to look for any hidden meanings."

Kate nodded, and she glanced over to Shaw who was having a passionate discussion with Newman. Following her gaze, Castle said, "He's getting an ear full."

"She better be reading him the riot act."

"I guess. The truth is I did only remember that guy because he liked my books. We talked about them for a few minutes. I didn't get his first name."

Kate regarded Castle, surprised given everything going on he would feel guilty for Franklin's fate. Far too often, she saw people under some form of protection feel entitled to it. She shook her head, "Castle, on any normal day, you are a very friendly person. You'd have easily chatted with him if he mentioned any common interest."

"Thanks, but it doesn't help that the guy is probably dead because he was guarding me. I wish I had spoken to him more."

Kate had a strong urge to take his hand in hers but she dismissed it. This whole case was making her confused and she needed to remember why she was really there. "About the letter, he specifically said he has been enjoying reading your books."

"Apparently."

"C'mon, Castle. You know that means something. You usually come up with lots of theories on what that could be." Kate almost wondered if anyone would believe she was trying to prompt Castle to be more like himself. It was like she missed hearing him do it, which of course wasn't so. That would be ridiculous.

"I guess I'm not in the mood." His attention moved to his family in the kitchen. Excusing himself, he got up and joined them, leaving Kate alone on the couch.

Kate leaned back and rubbed her eyes. Watching Castle become so despondent unnerved her. If Gulliver wasn't caught soon, she wasn't sure if he would recover, especially if anyone else was hurt or killed.

Voices got Kate's attention and she saw Newman scurry away from Shaw. A new determination struck the detective, and she got off the couch making a beeline to Shaw. As Kate approached, Shaw turned towards the door heading out to the hallway. That was a good thing, in Kate's opinion, what she had to say shouldn't be heard by Castle, especially in his state.

"Wait a minute," Kate called after her.

The older woman didn't slow down. "I'm sorry, Detective, I'm really quite busy right now."

Catching up to her, Kate jumped in her path. "Whatever you are doing can wait until we talk."

"Whatever I'm … did you not hear that an FBI agent is missing?" Shaw's voice made it clear she took it personally over Franklin's disappearance but Kate couldn't worry about that right now.

"I'm sorry, I really am, but you owe me some answers. You've dodged me long enough."

Either because of nerves or exhaustion, Shaw laughed. It was a sarcastic one, that was for sure, but it still annoyed Kate. "Something funny, Shaw?"

"You actually think I've dodged you? Like I care? Gulliver has been on our radar for longer than I've been in the FBI, Detective, and that's a long time. I've watched agents obsess over him, burn out, their careers ruined because they let this one man get to them. I swore that wouldn't happen to me. But now? He's coming after someone specific. And no matter what we do, what we try, how we react, he's one step ahead of us. Now it's not just about endangering the lives of the Castles but one of our own has been taken, right under the noses of a surveillance team. And you think I'm worried about _you_?"

Anyone else would be intimated by her words, but Kate was past that. "I really didn't think there was a chance in hell Gulliver would show up here. HERE. If I had, I wouldn't have left them alone last night."

Shaw rolled her eyes, "You think you would have been able to stop him?"

"Maybe." Kate really didn't believe it but she wasn't backing down from the older woman. The truth was she wished she could have been there at least to help Castle when he found that letter. It troubled her that Gulliver had been that close and she wasn't here with him. "But whatever it is you're holding out on me, on us, needs to be told. Right now. Gulliver might have been a step ahead of you but right now I feel like he's two steps ahead of me, and my only concern is protecting Castle."

Shaw regarded Kate for several minutes. Eventually she gave in. "Okay, have it your way, Detective. But I do not want what I'm about to tell you to get back to Castle."

"He has a right -"

Shaw shook her head at Kate's reaction. "I don't plan on keeping him in the dark forever. But given his state right now, I don't know if he can handle this information."

Kate scoffed. "He's an award winning author. He's researched countless cases and murderers for all his books, not to mention the cases he's recently worked with the NYPD. He can handle bad information."

"You will probably change your mind when you hear it."

"So tell me," Kate said, leaning up against the wall.

Shaw glanced up and down the hallway, no one was in sight. "All right. You remember how we told you that Gulliver always leaves his DNA on each victim?"

"Yes. He knows he's not in the system."

"Right," she nodded. "But as protocol every time we get a new DNA sample, we always run it through the database. We expect it to get the one hit, which matches to him, and of course it always does."

Kate nodded. "We would do the same."

"So his last killing was in Memphis. As usual we ran the DNA, which at this point just felt like a mere formality." Shaw glanced again down the hallway to make sure no one was around. They were still alone. "This time, though there was an extra hit."

"An extra one? If he had been arrested as a suspect for a …"

"It wasn't a 100% match. This one was a partial match."

Kate processed this. "Partial? As in …"

"Someone related to him is now in the system."

Kate didn't understand. This should have been good news. Except one thing bothered her, "Well, why didn't this get back to you before? It's procedure when an offender is arrested to run their DNA through the federal database."

"Because this person wasn't an offender. This person was on the other side." Shaw waited for Kate to absorb the information.

"You mean?"

"Right. Many civil jobs, especially those that risk their lives, now require employees to submit their DNA: fire departments, police departments, hell, even the treasury department."

Kate nodded. "Yes, New York requires us to submit one."

"Since it's merely for informational purposes, at the time it's submitted it's not scanned against other entries."

"So that's the hit your people found they ran the Gulliver DNA from his last victim?" At Shaw's nod, Kate concluded, "So that would be someone that works for the city."

"In the NYPD to be specific." Shaw said, eyeing the younger woman.

"You mean a cop?"

"No, anyone who works directly with investigations must submit their DNA."

Kate nodded, "Right. The medical examiner's office. The science lab crew."

"Police consultants."

A cold chill swept over Kate. Her eyes locked with the agent's. "Police consultants?"

"Yes."

"You mean," Kate used her left hand to steady herself. "Gulliver's DNA matched Castle's?"

"Yes, Detective, I'm afraid so."

"So Gulliver is related to Castle." Kate's eyes darted down the hall towards his apartment.

"Yes," Shaw waited a moment, then followed with what Kate didn't want to hear. "Gulliver is Richard Castle's father."

* * *

_Obviously I'm taking this WAY into an AU now that Marlowe has introduced Castle's father in the show. I had come up with this scenario last summer because I wanted to see how Castle would react to finding out he is related to a very evil man. Hopefully this case will be interesting to you. Unfortunately, due to work related matters, I have been working a lot more and having a harder time to write. I can say hearing more reviews from people will push me to go the extra miles and keep turning out chapters._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
A/N: Sorry this took me so long. Real life gets in the way.

* * *

Kate felt sick. All these years she had heard about Gulliver but never saw him as a real person. And never like someone's father, least of all Castle's. "That's why you have been asking all these questions."

Shaw nodded, looking very tired herself. "Right. Once we realized the connection, we had to consider all the possibilities. Richard Castle is the son of one of the most prolific serial killers in America. There was a chance he may already know."

"He doesn't."

"We had to be sure, Det-, Kate. Also, if he knew his father, there was a possibility he was a part of the crimes in some way. We've discovered father/son teams before."

"He would never …" Kate closed her eyes, this whole conversation was nothing like she expected. "... he's not a killer."

Shaw studied her for a short moment. "We know that now. But we had to be sure."

Kate began picturing the family last night during dinner. Her heart ached at the thought of all of them finding out what really was going on. "So Dr. Spencer showing up a few months ago, that was what?"

"By then, we already dived into his paper life. The novels did seem rather suspicious. That he wrote about killers, especially so well. Those early books could have been …"

"I told you, he's not like that," Kate said, knowing the FBI were just doing their job but couldn't stop herself from saying so.

Shaw sighed, "We sent Reid in to talk directly to Castle. Of course that conversation wasn't enough so we monitored his activity: his time outside the loft, his time in the loft, and of course his time at the precinct."

"You monitored him with me?"

Shaw almost smiled. "Yes, from afar. We read the case reports you filed. I must say, you two are quite the unorthodox team."

"So you know why …" Kate felt herself blushing, "… why he is no longer shadowing me."

"Investigating your mom's murder?" Kate nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure that had to hurt, but if it makes you feel any better, that act helped us breathe a sigh of relief where Gulliver was concerned."

"What do you mean?"

"If he was a sexual sadist like his father, or at least had a psychopathic personality, he wouldn't have cared to try to help you at all."

Kate felt a chill run through her at the suggestion they thought Castle could be so cold blooded. She hadn't thought anything good could have come from looking at that case. Still, she couldn't let it totally go. "But you did lie."

"Pardon?"

"You lied earlier. He asked you point blank why Gulliver would be targeting him and you said something like you had no idea."

Shaw shrugged. "Yeah, well, we weren't ready at the time to make this known."

Kate had issues with that. "Sure, because clueing us in to the fact that the reason a notorious serial killer is stalking Castle is because he's his long lost father_ was a danger to the case_."

"Detective – " Shaw was about to argue, but she stopped. Kate then saw the regret in the older woman's eyes and backed off. Whatever Shaw's motivations for keeping them in the dark had been, she was taking the current situation very hard and didn't need to hear it from her NYPD counterpart.

Softening her voice, Kate said, "So what do we do now?"

"Obviously this isn't a safe location. For the moment, the whole family needs to come to the station. The Captain there has told me the family can stay in the break room, and there is a conference room that doesn't have to be used. It's just for the day until we can put them in a more locked-down facility."

Kate nodded, following the agent back into the apartment to get the family ready to leave.

* * *

It was several hours later and Kate looked up as Castle handed her some coffee. She smiled gratefully. She'd been going through footage taken from nearby traffic cameras trying to spot anything that looked suspicious, but so far it turned up zilch. Shaw's team had been working on trying to help find the missing FBI agent but to no avail. It had been a long day.

During this time Alexis and Martha had tried to make do in the break room by watching TV. Alexis was scared and Martha did her best to be brave, but it was obvious she was nervous too. Castle had avoided Kate which was new for him. Kate felt relief at this only because Shaw still wanted Castle to remain in the dark and the less she spoke to Castle, the less likely it would be she would have to lie. Yet Castle was the one always seeking Kate out, so why did he avoid her now? Was he disappointed in Kate's inability to do more for him? He always held her police skills at such high esteem, so now that they hadn't been able to do squat in protecting his family was he rethinking his opinion of her? Kate should have welcomed any chance of Castle wanting to put distance between them, but instead she worried about it.

"Now I wish I had sent espresso machines to all the stations, not just yours."

"Well, it's been a long time since my last cup, so this tastes good enough." She put the cup down and looked at him. He looked exhausted. Since coming in, he had insisted at looking over mug shots trying to see if anyone might have looked familiar. His theory was that maybe he came into contact with Gulliver recently. Kate had to ignore the guilt she felt knowing that would turn up nothing. "So, how did you do with the books?"

"Struck out. I did find that statistically speaking, six out of seven people take a bad picture when they are arrested."

She had to smile at that. "Six out of seven, huh?"

He shrugged, "Yeah well, Reid, I mean Dr. Spencer, is the one who gave that exact statistic as he sat with me as I went through them all. He likes numbers."

She nodded. "Making new friends?"

"He's a good kid. He's a fast reader, even faster than me."

She chuckled, "Amazing."

"Well, I can't be the best at everything."

"I don't know about that. You're the best at annoying me."

That got a smile from him. "I'm glad to hear it. I work really hard at it."

"I know you do." She felt a twinge of guilt. Joking with Castle while knowing such a tragic secret about him made her feel like a hypocrite. "How are you doing?"

"We're okay. Alexis is watching some documentary on the TV; Nothing gets her mind off of stuff like an educational program. And Mother perks up when an officer asks for her autograph." He glanced past her to his family in the next room.

"How are you doing, Castle?" Kate asked again.

She recognized the look on his face and expected what he said to annoy her. "C'mon, Detective, this is hardly the time to get personal."

If she didn't know about Gulliver, she'd have taken his answer and let it go. But knowing what she knew, she couldn't. She stared in his eyes, those irritating, arrogant, beautiful eyes that in spite of his bravado were showing fear and sadness.

"Kate," he said, breaking eye contact, "Let it go."

"Let what go?"

Now she saw something new in his eyes. Anger. "That, right now, I feel like the most useless father in the world. My family is in danger and there isn't anything I can do to protect them!"

He stood up after that and walked out into the hallway. Kate had hoped to get him talking but she hadn't been expecting an outburst. She looked around to see if anyone had noticed it, specifically his family, but apparently nobody had. Standing up, she followed him.

"Castle, wait."

"Why should I? So you can tell me I'm right? Or how I brought this on us?"

She caught up to him by the elevators. Thankfully no one was around but still aware Castle needed some privacy, she took his arm and brought him over to a nearby corner by a window. He went with her probably more out of the fact he didn't want to cause a scene and worry his family more.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

He shook his head. "C'mon Beckett. I've been thinking about this all day. I try to concentrate on what we know, or little we know. What we know of Gulliver and what we learned of him since the other day. But no matter what, I can't get past the why. The why is everything."

Kate shook her head, she'd never seen Castle act like this before. "Castle, you're going to drive yourself crazy."

"Yeah, but how am I supposed to know which way we go from here if I don't know the story?"

"You always come back to the story, don't you?"

He laughed a little. "If I don't have the story to something, it drives me nuts." He groaned and leaned up against the window. "Oh Kate, I don't know what to think or do any more. It's one thing to speculate and theorize when it's victims I have no connection to, but when me or my loved ones can be a target … my mind, it's like it stalls and speeds up at the same time! It stalls on thinking of anything useful and instead focuses on the outcomes that should be unimaginable.

"So far I've imagined scenarios of Gulliver coming into the loft, that he's there right now. That he's stalked me when I came to your station and even followed us. Then my mind really goes nuts and imagines him at Alexis' school. If he's interested in hurting me for payback, the best way would be to go after my daughter." Castle's voice cracked at her name.

Kate was leaning against the window now too. She looked down and was surprised to find she had taken his hand with one hand and caressing his arm with the other. "I'm so sorry, Castle. I don't know what to say."

"There isn't anything to say, Kate." When did he start using her first name? Dropping his hand, Kate folded her arms. When she did, she noticed he took his other hand and patted the spot on his arm she'd been touching. She felt suddenly uneasy and knew they needed to get back to work.

"C'mon Castle, we need to get back there. Help me go through the video footage of traffic. Maybe you will spot something I missed."

* * *

An hour later Shaw appeared her cell phone to her ear. "Okay, I got it. We'll be leaving now."

Both Castle and Kate jumped up. Obviously Shaw had a new lead. Castle asked, "What's going on? Where are we going?"

She shook her head. "Not you, Mr. Castle. I am going to bring Detective Beckett with me. You need to stay here at the station."

"What is it?" Kate asked.

"We believe we found Agent Frederick's body."

A silence fell on the room. Everyone reacted differently to the news. While many didn't know the agent directly, it was always tough when an investigator died in the line of duty. Castle spoke first, "Is he …. was he posed?"

Shaw looked him directly in the eye. "Yes."

Castle flinched and shut his eyes and Kate worried he was blaming himself. He did recover enough to say, "You have to let me come."

"No, Mr. Castle, I do not."

He looked at Kate suddenly and she worried he wanted her to push for him to come as well. She actually did want him to come but she wasn't sure if it was because she thought he could be helpful or because she wanted to keep him close so she knew he was safe. There was also the other matter of Castle taking the death personally and not being able to think clearly. Was it a good idea to bring him to this crime scene?

As if reading Kate's mind, Castle spoke. "I know what you are thinking, that this isn't some regular crime scene. It's a murdered FBI agent who is now dead because he was guarding me. Having me around in normal situations was never considered a good idea. But Gulliver is obsessed with me now and this killing was because he wanted to leave that letter. It could be that the agent's body was left to leave me another message. If that's the case … I need to see it."

Kate had to bite back a smile. Turns out her shadow made a sound argument all by himself. "Agent Shaw, I think Castle is right. He's been to crime scenes before so he knows protocol and at this one he may have particular insight into what Gulliver is trying to say."

Shaw's look didn't exactly fill Kate with confidence on Castle's abilities but at least she didn't argue. Before leaving, Castle ran into the break room to say goodbye to Alexis and Martha and to promise he would come back safely.

While he was in there Shaw whispered, "I hope you're right, Detective."

Kate hoped so too.

* * *

_Thoughts? I hope because it's been awhile since I last posted I haven't lost your interest. Reviews are especially welcome._


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_  
_A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short. And I left it on a cliffhanger. :D_

* * *

Arriving at the location, the agent's body was lain out just as all of Gulliver's victims had been, except in this case the victim was on the roof of an old residential building. The surface was not a completely flat surface; it had some curved areas which took up about 30% of the space. While it didn't make it especially hard to maneuver around, trying to pose a body in the middle of the night seemed like a risky location.

Everyone was quiet when they walked around Frederick's lifeless form, not able to take their eyes off of his face when they knew they should be looking for clues.

"Has the ME been here?" Kate asked, her lips pursed. She'd seen serial killers' work before but Gulliver was something on a whole new level. She shivered though it was a warm night.

Shaw nodded. "Yes, she said the body has been dead for at least 16 hours."

"How does he kill them?" Castle's voice was hoarse. He wished someone would close Frederick's eyes.

"Technically we need to wait for the ME's examination but if this is like the rest of the murders, it's through blood loss. He bleeds his victims out."

"That sounds…" Kate started to say painful but knew it didn't really help anyone stating the obvious. "Okay, what do we know?"

Shaw looked over at Agent Paul who pulled out a notebook to read. "Access to the building itself requires a master key for residents but maintenance people are given a special key that should only allow them access to the basement. However, the place is not Fort Knox so it wouldn't be difficult to find a way in from any spot. The roof itself is supposed to be locked but many residents purposely leave it open because a resident was locked out here 10 years ago. Nobody saw anything suspicious."

Castle sneered, "Of course not." He walked away and looked out over the edge down to the street.

Shaw quietly approached Kate, whispering, "Is he is going to be like this the whole time? He might as well go sit down in the car if he is."

Castle was now walking the perimeter of the roof, his eyes looking out towards the city. Kate watched him but recognized what he was doing. "Give him a minute."

"He shouldn't be here at all!" Agent Paul scorned.

After Castle made one lap around he went back to the southeast corner and pointed down. "There, he must have parked there."

Everyone walked over to him and saw an alleyway leading out to the far street.

Shaw shook her head, "What makes you so sure that's where he parked?"

"Because it gave him the most privacy to pull out his tools and this body."

"Actually," Paul said, his voice holding a hint of mockery, "there is another alleyway right over there and it's closer to the door than this one."

Castle looked over at Kate for a moment, then back to the alleyway. "Well, I guess I'm not an expert like you guys but this alleyway has the dumpsters and that one over there," Castle reached out pointing to a green one about twenty feet away, "has obviously been moved recently. You can see the outline of where it was over there."

"He's right. The green dumpster looks like it might have wheels on the bottom," Shaw said, leaning over to get a better look. She pulled out her phone to call one of the agents below canvasing the area to take a look at the one they were studying.

Kate had to bite back a smile. Shaw and Paul walked away leaving Castle and the detective staring down at the alleyway. "Good job."

Sighing he shook his head. "I heard what she said to you and she's not wrong. I can hardly look at him."

She glanced over to Frederick again, and honestly she couldn't blame Castle. She could hardly stand to look at him either and she never met him. "It's different when you know the person."

"Yeah," he said, drawing the word out. His gaze went over the roof and she could see him physically shudder. "Beckett, I know this…this is going to sound weird but I swear I've been here before."

"Where? This building? The roof?"

He nodded, "When I was a kid. I think, God, Beckett, I think we might have lived here."

Kate now looked at the building with new eyes. It wasn't exactly the place she pictured Castle and Martha living in, but she didn't know much about his early life. "We could look that up."

Castle followed, "My mom would know. We moved around a lot when I was a kid. If Mother got enough money we'd stay somewhere really nice but eventually the show would close or she'd make a bad investment and we would have to downsize."

"That would explain why he picked this location. This roof is awkward to stage a body and bringing the body up here had to have been hard with no elevator in the building. He had to go out of his way to use this roof."

"So is this supposed to be a message to me? Has he followed me longer than we thought? Why? I don't understand."

The question hit Kate harder than she expected and she couldn't hide her grimace. Castle asked. "What? What is it?"

She didn't think of the consequences such as her ability to continue working on this case or whether if Castle really was ready to hear it. She just knew she couldn't look Castle in the eye without telling him about Gulliver.

"There's something you don't know, Castle. Something the FBI has been reluctant to reveal." Castle didn't respond. Kate went on, "Something about Gulliver."

"What?"

"There is a connection between you and…him. One that isn't going to make you happy, but keeping you in the dark isn't working and I think it would be better to air the ugly tru-"

Castle stepped closer to Kate, his eyes growing dark. His words were a whisper but there was an edge to them. "For God's sake, Kate. What is it?"

"He's your father," she blurted.

* * *

_A/N: What's that sound you hear? Music: dun dun DUNNN! Please review!_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
A/N: This is from Castle's POV.

Castle had to sit down. If he didn't, he was going to faint. He thought he was going to faint. He'd never fainted before but he was dizzy and more than a little nauseous. He'd probably have let himself faint but he didn't want to do that in front of the FBI agents scurrying around. And he sure as hell didn't want to faint in front of Beckett.

She helped him to the stairwell. It wasn't the best place though, as the air was heavy and stale. He glanced over at Beckett whose features were showing more concern now than he'd ever remembered seeing. He had noticed her glances at him since this whole thing started, and if he wasn't so worried about his family and their safety he'd have enjoyed them more. Kate Beckett cared about him, at least a little. However, at the moment he bet a kiss from her wouldn't have made what she revealed any easier.

"Castle, are you okay?"

He asked the obvious question. "How do they know he's my father?" _Really, how could they possibly know that?_

Taking a seat next to him, Beckett explained. "The DNA he's been leaving, they used that and it matched yours. They can tell he's a parent of yours."

"My DNA, how did they …" Castle then realized. "Oh, when I gave a sample back when I first started shadowing you?"

Beckett nodded and Castle thought back to that time. He actually thought it was rather cool to have his DNA in the system. Now his skin was crawling at the consequence. "So all this time Gulliver has been my father." It wasn't a question.

He was staring at his hands and for a second he saw Beckett's hand appear but she pulled it back so fast he wondered if he imagined it. Then it appeared again and rested on his arm. On instinct he took his hand and covered hers. It was so warm.

His touch seemed to push her to say more. "That's … that's why you ran into the FBI agent, Dr. Spencer, earlier. They saw the hit since his last killing in Memphis. They wanted to know if you were in contact."

He almost laughed at that except for the overwhelming urge to vomit. "They wanted to know if I knew my father was a serial killer."

"They didn't know you like I ... we do."

"This is so..." Castle was about to say surreal but it seemed the wrong word. "Of all the theories I've thrown out there, this was the last thing I would have guessed."

Beckett quietly said, "Yeah."

His eyes went to hers and they stared for several minutes, neither saying anything. All these years wondering who his father is only to find out … he wanted to cry.

But there was no time for that. Shaw came up the landing, meeting them. Beckett's hand jerked away from his. "You were right, the dumpsters had been moved. We found evidence of oil on the pavement where his van leaked."

Castle didn't answer. His eyes flicked to Shaw, realizing she knew this whole time who his father was. That she knew what this was really about. How could she keep silent?

"So he actually left something behind?" Beckett asked, sounding hopeful.

"Yes, it looks like he's finally getting sloppy. He probably was trying to get in and out of here so fast he missed it. Or didn't realize his van is leaking."

Castle could feel a heat inside of him. "Good thing he used this location then."

Kate visibly tightened next to him but he really didn't care. Shaw asked. "He picked it for a reason, I'm sure. He does everything for a reason."

"Did I used to live here, Agent Shaw?"

"Castle, I thought you were going to ask your mother about that."

He shook his head though his eyes never left the woman standing in front of him. "Why should I do that when I am sure the FBI has my entire history committed to memory? So I'll ask it again, did I used to live here?"

"Yes, you did."

Castle stood up and brushed past Shaw, heading down the stairs. He heard her say, "So you told him."

Beckett answered, "Of course I did."

"I thought I told you -"

Castle had had enough. "You thought you could leave me in the dark as long as possible. Tell me, Agent Shaw, at what point would it have been time to tell me?"

Shaw turned around. "I'm sorry, Mr. Castle, that you had to find out about this at all, but I am not going to apologize for the way I run an investigation."

"Just tell me. When would I have found out, if up to you?"

Shaw stuck her hands in her pockets. She was standing several steps over him and she looked quite formidable. Castle was too angry to care. She said, "If I could have helped it, not until we captured him."

"So obviously I'd never find out." He laughed at the absurdity.

Shaw took one step towards him, "Listen to me…"

"No, I've been listening to you, Agent Shaw, but I'm over it now. I'm heading back to the precinct to be with my family."

Beckett didn't immediately follow him. He figured she and Shaw had a few words to say to each other, now that Castle was aware of the situation. He got into Kate's car and buckled up and only then did he notice his hands were shaking. He tried to stop them but they weren't cooperating.

Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes and tried to get his mind to just go blank. It didn't work. Memories of asking his mother throughout his childhood were invading his thoughts but were mixed in with the pictures of Gulliver's crime scenes.

"_Why don't I have a daddy?" _The image of his first victim in New York._ "Do you know who my dad is? Will I ever get to meet him?" _The image of the body outside his loft door._ "I bet my dad does something cool like he's a secret agent like James Bond." _Agent Frederick's face with his eyes open.

"Castle!" He jerked his head to his left. Beckett had gotten in the car, he hadn't heard her. "Castle, I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault, Detective," he whispered, suddenly feeling formal. "I'm just glad you told me."

"Are you?" The look of sincerity on her face nearly broke his heart.

"Yes. I've been going crazy about why he's selected me. Now that I know, well, I'll still be going crazy but now it's for the truth. I am the son of a psychopath."

She reached out her hand and took his. She seemed as surprised at the gesture as he was but he knew better than to comment on it. After a moment, it occurred to him he shouldn't expect her to take him back to the station.

"Beckett, I'm sorry. You probably want to stay and investigate. I bet one of the uniforms can take me back."

She considered what he said and removed her hand. He fought back the disappointment. "Do you want me to stay? I can, but…"

"What?" he asked, hoping nothing else was wrong.

"I can go with you if you want. There is plenty for me to work on back at the station and Shaw has more than enough people here canvassing."

Now he did have tears in his eyes at that. Dare he hope that … no, Castle shook those thoughts away. She probably thought she'd be in the way here and she was right, she had more than enough to do back at the precinct. "That's a good idea."

"Okay," she said, starting the car and waving at the agents near them as they made a path for her to drive away.

Castle watched her as she focused on getting them back to the station. In spite of everything going on, in spite of the horrible news he just received, he was so thankful to have her with him through this. The FBI could send twice as many agents to investigate, but they didn't equal one Kate Beckett.

Glancing back down at his hands, he noticed they stopped shaking.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter Ten_  
_Don't you just love cliffhangers?_

* * *

Kate pulled into the parking lot and turned off the car. Castle had been very quiet on the way back to the station and she knew he was still processing this news. For once, she wished that he would speak his mind, something he never had problems doing before. Her main concern was over how Castle, while annoying, usually was a positive man and able to see the bright side in everything, couldn't even put a positive spin on this. She didn't know how he felt never knowing his father his whole life. He'd never tried to hide it from the public and he probably would have answered any question she had ventured before but she hadn't cared to ask, or really thought to ask. She was surprised now at how much she suddenly wanted to know.

Getting out of the car, she was surprised at how quickly he was already waiting for her at the rear of her vehicle. His hands in his pockets she approached him, looking into his blue eyes. "Castle …" she started but he stopped her.

"Listen, do you think … my mother knows him?"

That wasn't what she was expecting and she cursed herself for not seeing the obvious question. "I don't know. Agent Shaw has been careful to see if …"

He shook his head, obviously tensing at hearing Shaw's name. "No, not now. I know Mother doesn't know him now, but do you think there is a chance she got his name? Or at least a first name?"

"Maybe." Kate really wasn't sure what to think. "What has she said about your father?"

"Not very much," he said, looking sad and leaning against the car bumper, still keeping his hands in his pockets. "She used to wave the question away saying they were two ships in the night."

Kate cocked her head. "And you never … pursued it?"

"What was to pursue? There is no name on my birth certificate and Mother kept saying she didn't remember much except he was charming and fun."

"But didn't you want to know?"

He flinched. "You know, I did but didn't. I did when I was young, I would wonder. But eventually I got so used to not knowing, it was easier just to think of him like a mystery. He could be anything I wanted him to be … an actor, a sports figure. My favorite was picturing him like a CIA spy."

As Castle talked Kate listened, imagining the teenaged version of him trying to take the optimistic route while most kids would feel cheated. His eyes went down to his side and she followed only to be surprised to find her hand stroking his arm. She hadn't even realized she was doing it. That was the fourth time that day she'd reached out to touch him without even realizing it. Jerking back, she quickly said, "We need to go upstairs. Get started on our next plan."

They started walking but Castle made a noise with his throat. Kate knew he had a suggestion.

"What are you thinking?"

"I think we need to talk to Mother. Ask her what she remembered of Gu— my father."

Kate was taken aback. "You want to ask her about him?"

"Shouldn't we? I am shocked the FBI hadn't tried to interview her about it yet." He gestured as they kept walking.

Kate thought back. "I think they did in a roundabout way. When they first got here, Martha said they were asking her weird questions about your father."

"Yeah well, I think it's time she started answering them." When they got in the elevator, he had a very determined look on his face.

* * *

Before they could find Martha, they were stopped by Dr. Spencer. "Mr. Castle, Detective Beckett, Jordan called me to say that you are now fully aware of Gulliver."

Castle stiffened and glared at the young man. Kate answered, "That's correct."

"I do apologize for not being open about this at the beginning." Spencer stood nervously, but appeared quiet sincere. It was like a weight had been lifted. "I do not like lying."

His words were directed specifically to Castle and Kate watched him; his reaction looked like he had a hundred questions he wanted to ask. Eventually he settled to not asking any of them but instead said, "Thank you for that."

Spencer nodded, now looking at Kate nervously. "Maybe it's time to finally confront this thing officially then?"

"If you mean speaking to my mother, Dr. Spencer, that's something I know we can't avoid."

Spencer turned towards the break room probably to go get her but Castle stopped him by placing his arm on his shoulder.

"Just one thing," Castle said, his voice low. "Only Mother. Not Alexis. I want her to stay out of this."

Again Kate flinched as she was constantly reminded the overall consequences of finding out this news. It wasn't just about Castle and Martha, but Alexis too. Was Castle hoping Alexis would not be told? Kate wasn't sure if that was possible.

As if reading her mind, Castle leaned to her. "Like Reid Spencer, I really don't like lying either. And I hate lying to my daughter, but right now, I just … I can't handle telling her right now."

Was he actually worried Kate was judging him? The pain in his face nearly broke her heart and for the fifth time that day, she seemingly unaware reached out and squeezed Castle's shoulder.

For privacy, Dr. Spencer, Kate, Castle and Martha went into the interrogation room. Castle had asked how Alexis was doing. Martha smiled. "Better than any of us. She's concentrating on her homework. Normally I worry when she spends so much time on her studies but I'm so glad she has something to distract her."

Castle nodded, thankful as well. Kate gestured for Martha to sit down. It was clear the older woman thought she was there to get an update to the case.

"Did you find anything out?"

Castle tensed up at the question which of course Martha noticed immediately. "What is it dear? Oh, was it bad seeing that agent? Of course it was." She reached over to pat his arm.

He took his mother's hand and squeezed it. "Yes, it was. But we also, actually," he let go of her hand, "I found something out. Everyone else seemed to know it already."

"Ms. Rodgers," Spencer started, but Castle interrupted him.

"No, I need to say this."

"Say what?" Martha looked genuinely confused. "What is it? What did you find out?"

"Mother, in a way, we found out who Gulliver's identity is."

That wasn't what the redhead was expecting. "You did? So you are close to finding him?"

Her question was directed at the FBI agent at the table. The young man shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

Martha's eyes scanned everyone at the table. She knew something was wrong. "I don't understand. If you know his identity isn't that good news?"

"Actually, it's really bad news." Castle's voice cracked and tears were appearing in his eyes.

"Richard, why are you afraid to tell me? Who is it?"

Castle seemed stalled but he turned to Kate who gave him a nod. Gaining strength from that, he turned back to his mother, "It seems Gulliver, this psychopathic monster terrorizing us and much of the country, is actually my father."


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter 11_  
_I want to thank everyone for reviewing. It means so much to me. And inspires me to keep writing._

* * *

Silence filled the room while Castle, Kate and Dr. Spencer waited for Martha to absorb the news. The older woman didn't respond very quickly. It almost looked like she hadn't heard her son. Castle obviously thought so too since he decided to repeat himself. "Mother, did you hear me? I said that Gulliver is my father."

"I heard you. I just…this must be a mistake," Martha said, eyes glancing between him and Kate. "Richard, your father is not a serial killer."

"Mrs. Rodgers," the agent began but Martha shook her head.

"I don't know you, young man, so nothing you can say is going to convince me of what my own son just said."

Castle reached out to take her hands. He needed to get her to understand the truth. "Mother, it's not a mistake. He's my father."

"Richard," she began but her son cut her off.

"Mother, you can't just ignore this. You need to accept it. Like … like I have." His voice rose at the end and Kate grimaced. She didn't believe Castle had really accepted anything yet.

Martha looked like she wanted to argue but stopped. She was staring at Kate now, and though it was hard to not break eye contact, Kate knew she needed to understand this was really happening.

"But … he can't be Gulliver. He just can't—" Martha said, letting go of her son's hands and scooting away from the table. "That means I slept with a …" She didn't finish the sentence.

The agent tried to regain control of the conversation. "Mrs. Rodgers, what do you remember of the night your son was conceived?"

She didn't answer right away and they sat waiting for her mind to catch up. Eventually she started, "He … he was a perfectly normal looking … he didn't look like a—" Martha took some time to compose herself. "I was in a hotel in Tennessee. I was in a traveling musical and I think we were in Memphis. We were playing at the Orpheum, and it was my night off. Oh, it was the Peabody. We weren't staying there of course, just some cheap motel downtown but I liked to go to the Peabody for a drink. He was there. I thought he was a guest. He had a room … God, I think I may be sick."

Quickly Dr. Spencer walked to the door and asked for someone to get some water and a bag. Martha apparently recovered though after a few minutes. Kate asked, "What do you remember about him?"

"He was a nice looking man. He flattered me so, which isn't to say I went to bed with every man who complimented me, but there was something about him." While Martha was speaking Kate glanced back at Castle to make sure he was taking this alright. So far, he was.

Martha went on, "You know, I didn't give him my real name. I called myself Doris I think. Maybe Susan. I told myself that it was because it made everything so much more mysterious. You didn't worry about as much as you do nowadays."

The agent asked, "What name did he give you?"

"Paul, maybe. Or John. I remember thinking of The Beatles when he said it. He had their hair too. Long and with a beard, very 70ish though it looked stylish on him."

"What was he like?" Castle asked, his voice hoarse.

"He was like what I'd have expected him to be. Charming, handsome, sexy."

Dr. Spencer shifted, obviously uncomfortable with his next question. "Was that night normal? Did he do anything unusual?"

Much to both Kate and Castle's relief, Martha shook her head. "Yes, it was normal…in bed. He was like any other man I've ever been with."

"What about the next morning?" the agent asked.

Now Martha pondered her answered. "Actually, he was cold the next morning, distant and very quiet. He got dressed and barely said goodbye to me. I was shocked at first but decided that's how these types of things go, especially in a strange city."

Everyone was silent now. A few minutes go by and Martha said, "I still can't believe he's the monster doing these killings. Was he killing back then?"

"Maybe, but it's unlikely. While he probably had the urge to kill from an even young age, it's probable that the trigger, the thing that set him off, hadn't happened yet. Sometimes killers can get far into their adult life before that trigger happens, and we theorized with the level of control in his very early killings he had to be at least thirty-something years old by then." The information the young man was spitting out was not exactly setting Martha's mind at ease, but the agent was on a roll now, once he'd focused on such details he needed to get them out all at once. "Of course, that doesn't mean he hadn't have trial runs or started off in lesser crimes first which could have …"

"I don't think my mother wants to hear about that right now, Reid." Castle said strongly and the younger man shut up, looking rather sheepish.

Kate studied the redhead, who looked like she was barely holding it together. "Martha, are you okay?"

The older woman tried smiling but it didn't seem genuine. "I will be okay. I mean, I have to be, don't I? We have no choice, do we, Richard?"

"No, Mother, I'm afraid we don't."

She now turned to the agent, "Do you think it would be alright if I went outside? I need to get some fresh air and maybe take a short walk?"

"Of course, but we will need to have an officer accompany you, just in case …" Dr. Spencer didn't finish but everyone knew it was in case Gulliver was out there.

"That's fine." Martha stood, and Castle stood up, too.

"Do you want me to go …"

"No, son. If you don't mind, I'd just like to be alone."

The agent went to the door to find an officer and Martha stood looking out and her eyes came upon Alexis, still working on her homework in the breakroom. "God, Richard, what about Alexis?"

Sitting down, he shook his head, looking exhausted. "We can wait on that for now."

Martha glanced at her son, asking "I wish she didn't have to know."

By then, a uniform walked up and Martha took her walk. Dr. Spencer said he needed to check into some things and now Castle and Kate were left alone. She scanned Castle who had leaned back in his chair and was closing his eyes.

"I don't know what I'm going to do about Alexis." He hadn't opened his eyes.

Kate felt a surge of emotions. She wouldn't know what to do if she were him either. "I'm sure whatever you decide, it will be the right thing."

"You do?" he looked at her. "I don't know that."

She shrugged. "What have you done in the past? When there was bad news?"

Now Castle sat up, remembering, "I've always been truthful to her, at least when she was old enough to handle the truth, and technically she's old enough now. I actually never liked hiding the truth even when she was too young."

Kate watched as he seemed to recall the memory. He went on, "During the divorce from Meredith, I knew it was going to be hard for all of us, so I told her that mommy and I were not going to be living together anymore, but it didn't change how we felt about her. How much we loved her.

"Over the years, there was more bad news. Some of it trivial but to a child it was a big deal. Many times when it was a big deal you wanted it to seem trivial so she wouldn't hurt so much."

"Like?" Kate felt strange prying, but she was curious, she rarely saw this reflective side to her shadow.

He furrowed his brow, he said, "Like when Meredith kept canceling trips to see her. Those were probably the hardest. I don't understand how she could put anything before Alexis and it would be up to me to break the bad news to her."

Kate felt anger stir within her, "That must have been hard, and really unfair to you."

"Actually," he said, his tone surprising her, "it was for the best for me to tell her. Meredith explaining never came out quite right, on the phone and all. I would tell Alexis. I suppose back then it wasn't entirely truthful, but I didn't want her to think anything was more important than her so I'd make up some excuse. As Alexis got older she grew too smart for that."

"Would she become upset? I just can't imagine if my mother …" Kate couldn't finish, the idea sent a cold chill in her veins.

"I'm glad you can't imagine that," Castle said, "No one deserves it. Over time we, meaning myself and Alexis, have accepted Meredith for who she is. And she doesn't mean to be hurtful in her selfishness. I do think she tries to be a good mother, when it occurs to her."

Kate thought he was being far too generous to Meredith. He was looking over at Alexis through the doorway now. "Besides, Meredith's limitations as a parent have given me the gift that a lot of divorced fathers don't have: sole custody of my daughter. I wouldn't trade our time together for anything."

Castle looked back at Kate and she was surprised at his reaction. "Are you okay?"

"Sure, why?"

"You just look so sad," he said, and she realized she had slight tears in her eyes.

Embarrassed, she stood up, her back needed stretching from sitting so long. "I'm fine. It's just been a long day."

"Really? It's just … you looked just like you did back in the hospital when I told you …" He obviously was referring to that awful day at the hospital where he had told her that he had new information on her mom's case.

Kate didn't want to get into that now. "Castle, I'm sure when the time comes for it you will know what to do."

He stood up and walked over to her, getting closer than she liked. "Would you like to know? If you were Alexis …"

"I honestly don't know. I think …" Kate knew her answer wasn't helpful. "Either way would scare me."

He reflected on that. When he leaned away Kate had to stop herself from following him. When did she become so comfortable letting Castle into her personal space?

Folding his arms, he said, "I always think when you look back in life over past mistakes, it's those moments you lied you regret the most."

"Yeah," Kate had to admit he was right on that. She had to compose herself from reaching out to him again. There was a limit to the number of times she would voluntarily touch him.

She heard him chuckle. "I just wish I could have started with something simpler like telling her she wasn't allowed to date until she was 30 years old."

In spite of everything Kate laughed at that. He joined her. "I know. I'm already too late for that."

"Mr. Castle, Detective Beckett?" Both of them turned their heads to Dr. Spencer at the door. It seemed arrangements were finally done in finding them a new place to stay, somewhere homier than the precinct.

"That's great," Castle said, giving a strange look to Kate. "I'm ready to get out of here."

* * *

_Again, please review!_


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter 12_  
_I want to thank everyone who have reviewed. Your kind words about this story mean so much to me. I was really nervous about it and how it would go._

* * *

The rest of the day the FBI team concentrated on combing the apartment building where Agent Frederick's body was found. When Martha came back from her walk, Kate was surprised at how well she recovered. Castle told her that was usually the way Martha dealt with bad news, she tried to pretend it didn't happen. As for him, Kate noticed he had grown withdrawn and that concerned her, but she had no idea what to do about it.

It wasn't long before they were informed the FBI had found a location for them to stay, another safe house. This location was more contained, only one main entrance into the building. Both the FBI and NYPD were handling security, though they reported to Agent Shaw directly. Even so, Kate had made up her mind she was going to stay with the family too. She had excused herself to head home and pack a bag then meet everyone at the safe house. She got there before they arrived. The apartment was big enough to have her there: four bedrooms.

When Castle came in he looked relieved to see her and Kate tried to pretend his reaction left no effect on her. Instead, she concentrated on trying to get everyone to relax. Now that the family was on their own again, they tried to repeat the experience from the previous night. Kate didn't think it was possible, the death of a person as well as the bad news on Gulliver's identity would not leave her own mind; she couldn't imagine how it must be for Castle and his mother.

Still, they managed to make the most of it. Martha was more quiet than usual but Alexis didn't seem to notice, probably because her grandmother looked tired and she could chalk it up to stress of the day getting to her. Castle talked like nothing was bothering him but every once in awhile when Alexis wasn't looking he would pause for a moment or two, as if trying to channel energy he didn't have. Each time he did that Kate felt the need to draw Alexis' attention to her, buying him more time. It seemed to work.

When dinner was over, Martha quickly excused herself, stating she had a headache which finally did seem to strike Alexis that something was wrong. She asked her dad about it and he just shrugged it off. Pacified, the young girl said she would like to go to her room and read. One of the officers had run out and bought a new book for her which she was anxious to start.

"I guess it's up to us to clean the dishes," Kate said, attempting to sound light.

While they cleared the table, Castle said, "You know, Beckett, you don't have to do this. In fact, if you want to go home, I understand. This day has been as long for you as it has for us."

She was surprised at his suggestion. "Castle, didn't you hear me when you came in? I am staying the night."

"You are?" He asked, truly surprised. "No, I didn't. When did you tell us that?"

She thought back. She did say something but she said it rather quietly and he was probably still in the hallway. "When you came in. I thought that was why you were so … you seemed so relieved to see me."

"No," he shook his head. "I mean, I was relieved. I thought when you left earlier you were done then. Which you could have been, it was after 6 o'clock. When I saw you tonight for dinner I just thought … I knew you being here would help me … and mother with Alexis. Keep the pressure from us trying to pretend everything hasn't changed."

She didn't know how to respond to that. Concentrating on the dishes for a few minutes, Kate attempted to let silence remain, but Castle wasn't someone that could take silence for very long. "Having you here has helped her."

She paused as she was scrubbing the dishes, then resumed. "Good, she's been through enough as it is."

A familiar glint in his eye, Castle cocked his head, "Having you spend the night will help me, actually."

Normally Kate would let one of his inappropriate remarks go but tonight she was in no mood. Castle was never going to stop being Castle and even being related to a psychopath couldn't slow him down. "Stop right there! Just because I'm staying the night here doesn't mean anything. Certainly not what you are hoping."

Her outburst startled him, he clearly hadn't meant to be taken that seriously but Kate didn't care. He looked like he was going to apologize but then changed his mind. "Really? Just what am I hoping?"

"Oh please, Castle," Kate said, now moving the dishes around harder than they needed to be. "You've wanted to get in my pants since you met me. Now you have me right where you want me, under one roof, staying the night. Let me just remind you, when we get done with this … when your family is safe from Gulliver, we are back to being through!"

He was angrier than she ever seen him but she didn't care. Throwing the dish towel down, he walked past her towards his bedroom. "That will be no problem, Detective. I assure you I've had my fill of being in a police station!"

"Good!" she yelled firmly and he repeated back to her then slammed the door. Staring down at the sink, she angrily left the kitchen and headed for her room, intent on putting this awful day behind her.

* * *

Castle sat on the bed wondering what just happened. Why did he blow up like that? This wasn't the first time Beckett had lost patience with him and it surely wouldn't be the last. He couldn't account for the anger that was gone as quickly as it came.

He laid on the bed though still clothed and above the covers. Clasping his hands together behind his head he stared up at the ceiling and let his mind finally drift to what he'd been avoiding all day. Gulliver was his father. The man whose known victim list numbered in the double digits.

All his life the identity of his father had been an enigma. Now he knew the identity, granted not the man. People have called Gulliver a monster and surely Castle himself had characterized him up to this point like that. But now that Gulliver is seen as a father, can he be capable of love that a parent has for a child? Was his pursuit of Castle, as twisted and disturbing as it is, some form of love? No matter how Castle tried to consider it, it still felt sickening.

And finally, a small piece of Castle couldn't help but wonder how much he did have in common with his father. Growing up, Castle imagined his father would look like an older version of him. He also assumed his skill sets that he didn't share with his mother came from his father. Up until now, that knowledge was comforting, it felt like they had a bond even though they would probably never meet. Except now he's discovered his father is the world's view of the devil incarnate and the feeling it left him was chilling.

* * *

Kate grabbed her phone to check the time and saw it was after midnight. She hadn't slept one bit. In fact, she didn't even feel that tired anymore. The fight she had with Castle was stupid and she knew she had overreacted.

A noise from in the apartment got her attention. Sitting up, she strained her ears to see if she could hear it again. She did. Could Gulliver have gotten inside the apartment? They had stationed more people in the building but it was late at night. Taking her gun just in case, she walked to the door and opened it a crack.

She saw Castle in the kitchen. He was finishing the dishes they had left hours before. He only had the hood light on and was clearly trying to be quiet but you could only be so silent with dishes. She was debating about shutting her door again and pretending she was asleep.

"If you want, Beckett, I could turn on some music and start a strip tease for you." She cringed. Of course he knew she was there.

"I brought my gun in case you tried anything like that," she said, opening the door.

He smiled, probably the first genuine smile she'd seen in days and she couldn't help but return it. "Do you want some wine? It might help you sleep.?"

Walking closer, she grabbed a glass. "Who says I'm having trouble sleeping?"

From his look, she gave in. "Thank you."

He poured and she gestured to let him know it was enough. "I couldn't sleep either."

"Castle, I'm sorry, about what I said. I don't know why I acted like that."

"It's okay," he said, "Given how much time we've spent together, it's amazing you hadn't blown sooner than that."

Now that annoyed her. "I don't 'blow', Castle."

"Well, that's a shame." The darkness of the kitchen didn't hide his smug grin.

Damn, he got her again. If she wasn't so dead tired, she wouldn't be falling for this stuff. "Shut up."

He sat down in the chair beside her with his own glass. "Touché."

After drinking a few sips, Castle said, "You know, in spite of our fight, I'm so glad you are here."

"Really? I don't see why. I've felt as useless as you. Gulliver has remained one step ahead of us this whole time."

"That isn't your fault. You've only been on the case for three days." He said, smiling.

She shook her head. _How did he remain positive?_ She asked him. He shrugged, "It comes from growing up the son of a struggling actress. Times would get tough a lot, but in spite of my mother's, um, lack of maternal side, she did always make everything seem like it was going to be okay, and she was right."

Kate sipped her wine. "Your mother is so different than mine. My mom was a positive person, too. She wanted me to believe anything was possible. I could be anything I wanted. She was so excited when I started going to college. 'You are on your way' she would say.

"After she was killed, it was like that positive reinforcement died with her. Dad fell apart, so I had to figure things out on my own and make decisions on my life without knowing if it was the right one."

Castle took in what she said. It felt like his eyes were seeing through her. "I'm sure she's very proud of you now."

Kate blushed and she shifted in her seat. She shouldn't keep talking about this but the lateness of the hour, the wine and her fatigue made it all so much easier to open up. "I hope so. She always knew how I jumped into things. Once I committed myself to something, it would be almost impossible for me to stop until I finished it."

Castle face became reflective. "Is that why you are so afraid of looking into your mom's murder? That once you go down that rabbit hole again, you won't be able to come out of it?"

Kate's whole body tensed up. When was she going to learn he never stops? She faced him with an icy stare but he went on. "That won't happen, Kate. We have good leads now. After we are done with this, we could work on that case together."

"What if I don't want to know? Did you ever think of that?" He was obviously confused by her question. "What if we catch my mom's murderer only to sit and watch as he cuts some deal where he walks in 10 years?Tthe idea makes me nauseous."

Castle tried to say something but she cut him off. "You dredged up my past, Castle, for you. Not for me. And you are too selfish to even see it. The case is closed, Castle. We made a deal and when we catch Gulliver, I expect you to honor it."

With that she went back to her bedroom and shut the door. She did it quickly because she didn't want him to see the tears in her eyes. Unfortunately she wasn't fast enough.

* * *

The next morning, Kate got ready to head to the station. She needed some space between her and the writer. She decided the safe house would be fine keeping Gulliver out. Castle came walking up, he had other plans. "Hey, are we going back to the station?"

"I am. You are staying here."

"Wait, let me go…"

She turned to him, her voice low so his family wouldn't know how she was still upset. "You need to stay here. This case is too close for you to think …"

"No, please, let me come with you."

She didn't answer, she glared at him. She so was not in the mood for … whatever he had planned.

"Beckett, I was thinking about what you said." She started to turn away at that so he jumped in front of her. "No, I, forget I said that okay? I was thinking though and here's the thing. Why now? Why is he reaching out to me now?"

Kate rolled her he trying to gain sympathy? "He's your father."

"Yeah, but how does he know that? And he's been my father all this time, why come after me now?" Castle was jumping like he was really onto something so Kate begrudgingly put her stuff down to listen more carefully. He went on, "If he's known about me all this time, why come NOW?"

Kate shrugs, "I don't know but he probably has a reason."

Castle shakes his head, "But isn't that too coincidental? The FBI just found out he was my father four months ago and now he's suddenly showing up on my doorstep?"

She didn't want to admit it, but Castle's questions were making sense. Looking at him, he had that look on his face he got when one of his wild theories was about to come up. She braced herself.

"Beckett, what if he had access to the FBI records? What if he monitored their investigation by hacking their systems? Or he could be even within the FBI."

"Castle, that is…"

He stepped close, again too close for Kate's liking but for some reason she didn't stop him. In spite of her anger at him, she was so very glad to see his old self returning. "Shaw said it was like he was ALWAYS one step ahead of them in the investigations. How easy would it be to stay ahead if you could see exactly where they were?"

"That's …" Kate wanted to argue but it actually did make sense. "It does seem odd he tries to contact you only after the FBI realize just who you are."

"Exactly!" The look on his face is so eager she knows she can't deny him going. This case is really about him after all.

"Okay," she said, "let's go. We'll go tell Agent Shaw your new theory."

"Excellent," he said, smiling. As she went to the door, he placed his hand on her shoulder and she turned to him. "Thank you, Kate. For everything, given how you feel and what I've done. You didn't have to help. But you are and I want—"

She cut him off. "Sure." But her voice was shaky. She picked up her pace, placing all her thoughts towards catching Gulliver.

* * *

_Thoughts_?


	13. Chapter 13

_Chapter 13  
Sick today so I'm not sure how much writing I can do on this the next few days. Work's been tough too._

* * *

Kate was hoping she and Castle could speak to Agent Shaw, but Shaw went out to see the M.E. over the first body since something new had been found and she had taken Agent Paul with her. Kate was glad, his patience with Castle was limited to say the least and they were sure he would not care to hear of any theories Castle had, especially any that pointed in the bureau's direction.

They approached Agent Roberts first. She was sitting in the conference room with reports in front of her. As they walked up, she nodded in their direction, looking tired. "Hi, I was just going over witness accounts of the past few days."

Kate nodded and she and Castle sat down on either side of the blonde.

"Agent Roberts, has anyone looked into why Gulliver is attempting to make contact with Castle now?"

She shook her head. "Gulliver's intentions towards Castle can be a number of things, considering he's his son." She glanced at Castle. "Sorry we kept that from you for so long."

Castle waved his hand. "I'm focusing on other things right now. Actually, I'm looking at this as a writer."

"A writer?" She looked over at Kate.

Castle continued, "Yes. If I were writing this story, I'd have to have a reason for Gulliver to come after me. Why do it now? In fact, exactly how long Gulliver has known about me?"

"Mr. Castle, it's quite possible he's known about you for a long time."

Castle no longer bought that. "How? My mother admitted to using a different name."

"What are you guys talking about?" Agent Spencer came walking up.

"Mr. Castle thinks that Gulliver hasn't known about him all this time."

Spencer furrowed his brow. "It's more probable he's known about you since that night with your mother. There has been no secret you didn't know who your father is, but he probably knew he was sleeping with Martha Rodgers."

"You really think Gulliver decided to impregnate my mother over thirty-five years ago?" Castle said.

Roberts was about to say something but Spencer cut her off, "Actually it was closer to for-"

Castle wasn't about to let Spencer finish. "I don't think the exact year matters, Reid." Kate had to bite back a smile.

"We don't think he meant to get her pregnant but many unsubs - unknown subjects - like him never take anything for chance. After having a one night stand, even one decided upon spontaneously, he'd have made sure to keep tabs on her. And it wouldn't take long to figure out when she was pregnant," Roberts stated.

Kate shook her head, "How would he keep tabs on her?"

Everyone looked at her. "If he knew Martha was part of the acting company in town, those jobs went to lots of cities around the country. And that's only if he recognized her as an actress."

Roberts looked like she was considering it. "But your mother did become a famous actress so later he could have …"

"She says she became a famous actress. She's known to theater buffs, especially ones in New York but back then," Castle glared at Spencer now, "It was way back then by the way, she looked a lot different. I imagine her part in that play was probably small, too."

Spencer looked over at Roberts, "You know, based on how Ms. Rodgers described that encounter with him, Jennifer, and how he changed the next morning …"

Roberts asked, "What do you mean?"

"Mrs. Rodgers described that the night he was charming and fun, she had no reason to suspect him being anything other than normal. " He sat down to be at eye level with the others. "But the next morning she said he was very different – cold, distant. His night with her…"

He broke off as he mentally thought it out. Castle, when met with unexpected silence, did what he usually did, asked a bunch of questions. "What? What about his night with her? You think he had some other kind of plan? God, do you think he wanted to make a victim of my mother?"

He went on and Kate quickly got up to calm him down, her gut told her Spencer was going in another direction. Placing her hands on his shoulder she whispered, "Calm down, Castle. Don't let that writer's imagination get ahead of you. Let's see what he has to say."

After another few moments, Spencer now was ready. "Jennifer, Mr. Castle, Detective, I think maybe what Gulliver might have experienced that night was an attempt to try to be normal. Have as a normal life as possible."

Standing up, he went to the smart board and Kate took his vacant seat next to Castle's. Spencer began with the early information they had on him, "Back when Gulliver started twenty years ago, his crimes were just as sophisticated as they are now. Oh, he's fine-tuned some things, but for the most part, his crimes always were planned out to the minute detail.

"We have wondered if these killings were his first. Did he have previous victims that went unnoticed by the local police departments for example?"

Roberts added, "Yes, we actually think he may have started in his real home town, but took the time to hide the bodies."

"Right," Spencer said, glancing back at the board. "An unsub like this, such a narcissistic sexual sadist had to have had such desires at a much younger age, maybe even during the teen years."

Kate noticed Castle shivered at that and she glanced at him. There was a sad look on his face and Kate wondered how this man could possibly be his father.

"It's easy to think that psychopaths immediately accept their twisted version of their destiny. But many don't at first. They fight it, they try to ignore it. We assume Gulliver travels for his job and those trips away were probably when he was most tempted to act out his psychotic desires. Perhaps Gulliver attempted a one night stand with your mother to try to distract from those normal tendencies."

"Which obviously didn't help." Castle didn't try to hide the disgust in his voice.

Roberts stood up to get closer to the board. "We didn't exactly profile him all the way back to when you were conceived, Mr. Castle. This was almost twenty years before his first known victim and any number of variables could have happened in the meantime to cause him to begin killing."

"But," Spencer pointed at the date Martha had given them for when she met Gulliver, "if this really was just a chance to try to ignore his psychotic tendencies and attempt to act like a normal male back during the time of the sexual revolution, it is possible he forgot about her."

Roberts shook her head, "If he didn't follow Martha's career all these years, how could he know Castle is his son?"

Kate cleared her throat, "Well, we have a theory on that."

"What theory?" Agent Newman approached.

Roberts was about to say but Castle interrupted her, "When do we expect Shaw back?"

Newman took a seat, studying Castle and Kate. "Actually they are on their way up now."

Reid walked back to the table, "What did the M.E. have?" Newman couldn't say.

When the elevator doors opened, everyone turned to see them. Shaw and Paul came straight to the conference room. Whatever they found out must have been good news as they looked more positive then they had in a long time

"Interesting development on Evans," she said, tossing a folder down on the table.

"Evans?" Newman asked, "They just found something on the first victim?"

"Evans' autopsy got pushed to the backburner because of Agent Frederick." Paul said, eyeing Castle in a way Kate didn't like.

Roberts picked up the folder, "So what is it?"

"Something new." She then noticed Castle and Beckett for the first time. Kate asked what was new. Shaw explained, "There was a knife wound on Evans. It wasn't immediately obvious on the body. Gulliver hasn't ever used a knife and this one apparently is unusual."

"In what way?" Kate asked curious.

"The blade shape was long and had a pattern. It may be some form of saber. Quite elaborate. Not sure why he'd do something new but I'll take any new clues at this point."

Everyone nodded looking solemn. Castle cleared his throat and looked at Kate first. "Agent Shaw, Beckett and I have been discussing something with your agents."

"Oh?" she said while someone brought in a few more seats. She took one.

Reid pointed at the board, "Mr. Castle …"

"You guys can just call me 'Castle'." the writer said.

"Um, okay, Castle mentioned how no one has looked into why Gulliver is looking at Castle now."

Kate wasn't surprised when Agent Paul, finally taking a seat, crossed his arms angrily. "Well, we've been a little busy investigating a couple of new murders he's committed."

What did surprise Kate was Castle didn't back down from the more intimidating agent. "Of course you have, which he's probably counting on."

Paul obviously was going to say something else but Shaw, more open-minded, asked, "Why?"

"Why did he show up now? And how does he know about me?"

"You're his son, of course–" Paul's answer was silenced by a mere look by Shaw.

Reid pointed to the board and went over their recent discussion on what transpired between Martha and Gulliver.

When he came to his final words, Kate repeated, "So as Castle said this morning, it's too big of a coincidence for Gulliver to contact him only a few months after the FBI discovered the relation."

"I see your point," Shaw said, staring at the board. "But how would he have found out about you? The only way we found out was running the DNA scan."

Kate glanced at Castle, warning him to be careful with his choice of words. They weren't looking to accuse anyone directly. Sadly Castle never was especially tactful. "And that's how he found out. He probably has access to your database."

Like a choir all the agents coughed up reasons on how wrong Castle clearly was. All except Shaw who remained quiet, thinking over the idea. She stood up which quieted most everyone down. "Castle, our database has provisions to protect information in it. You can't just hack in like they show on TV."

Castle nodded, "Like what?"

"Well," Shaw said, "I'm not an expert on the systems, but there are multiple layers of security overall. If one is compromised there would more to go through. There are also scanners, monitoring traffic through our databases and on the file system. If a file is accessed repeatedly from agents outside the case, that raises suspicion."

Paul smugly said, "So I guess this means Castle thinks it's one of us, because otherwise red flags would have been triggered."

Kate didn't have to look at Castle to know he was annoyed with Paul, she was annoyed with him. "You don't have to get personal about it."

He looked at her now. "I do when I get accused of helping out a serial killer."

"It's not any different than your accusing Castle of helping out Gulliver."

"Yeah, but I'm not related to the guy!" He sneered.

Now Kate was pissed off. "Listen, you son of a-"

Both Shaw and Castle spoke, Shaw to Paul and Castle to Kate, though he reached over and squeezed the detective's shoulder, too.

"Actually," Newman cleared his throat, "there…there are some ways to access files without it triggering anything."

Everyone looked at him, and Paul asked, "How do you know?"

"Remember last year when our Colorado office went down because the system crashed? They restored the data really quickly and I remember asking them about the firewalls and sniffers on our network. They said the backup systems were exceptions and allowed to pass through freely. I'm not sure exactly how. "

"You think he's a tech analyst working in the IT department?" Roberts wondered.

"No," Newman said, "but we have theorized he is familiar and comfortable with computer systems. Over the years he has bypassed electronic systems run on computers."

"If he did routinely review our files on him," Shaw guessed, "It would certainly help him stay ahead of us all these years."

Paul coughed, "So we are taking Castle seriously now?"

Kate was glad to see everyone was ignoring him as they began discussing with themselves if this was feasible by Gulliver. Shaw walked over to them. "What made you think of this?"

Castle shrugged, "Hmm? Oh, I analyzed the variables last night. Made out a list weighing the pros and cons and using a flowchart…"

Kate rolled her eyes. "He pretended it was a story he was writing. In his books he would need a reason why Gulliver would make himself known, and that led him here."

Castle's eye contact with Kate indicated amusement, but she held it. Shaw seemed to wait for something more scientific but not hearing it, she walked away, "Well, Castle, it's certainly not the scientific approach and the idea he has something to do with the FBI makes me sick but I can't deny this could answer so many of our questions."

Even after she walked away, Castle kept his eyes on Kate until she finally asked. "What?" She knew he was going to say something that annoyed her.

"Thank you."

She shrugged, "It's a good theory, Castle. Every so often you find one that is plausible."

"Not that," he said, earning a questioning look from her. "Thank you for defending me against Small Paul over there."

The nickname was juvenile but Kate couldn't suppress a grin. She quickly dropped it, remembering she shouldn't encourage him. "Well, nobody should be bashing you like that."

Now he looked hopeful. "Really?"

Not able to resist, she added, "That's my job."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

That morning was spent checking into how the database system worked. Shaw wanted the inquiries to be kept low-key, just in case Gulliver worked for the bureau and might be alerted. While Paul was the most vocal opponent, even he admitted having access to the digital records would let Gulliver know everything he needed, including the last safe house where the Castle family had been sent. Extra precautions had been taken to protect the latest location thus the database had not been updated as to where the Castles were now staying. Shaw decided for now it was best to keep it that way.

Spencer discovered that beside backup systems, certain administrative utilities also run at given intervals which were not kept in the computer log. Any of these could be used by Gulliver, however it became clear in order to do so he must have access to the IT sector, making it a concern he was part of that department specifically.

"What bothers me the most about this," Newman said, glancing through the manuals pulled on the FBI systems, "is we profiled that he was unable to have a regular 9 to 5 job. Or a job that has long hours in general. If he is an IT tech, he wouldn't have the schedule to go after victims in the manner he needs."

"Maybe someone is helping him, possibly unaware?" Castle asked, leaning over Newman's shoulder.

The agent pointed to the other five manuals. "Why don't you grab one of those books?"

Castle grinned. "No, yours is the most interesting. See what it says there? Further down? The systems are being scanned using a special username. Maybe that's how he's bypassing? He's using the same username."

Shaw, also looking over a manual, asked, "How do you know so much about IT?"

"I researched it for one of my Derrick Storm books."

"He researched it for one of his Storm books."

Everyone eyed both Castle and Kate when they spoke at the exact same time. Castle smiled looking proud while Kate attempted to act nonchalant.

Shaw just looked amused. "Okay."

Shaw's cell phone rang and she stepped out of the conference room to take it.

Castle walked out for a few minutes too. He was back soon with two cups of coffee, and he placed one next to Kate. "Still wish we could bring that espresso machine over here from the 12th."

Kate was glad to have any coffee. "If you do that then it will look like you only donated it for you instead of the thirsty police officers of homicide."

"Why, Detective Beckett," he acted chagrined, "I would never have an ulterior motive."

The look she gave him made him chuckle. Shaw came back in. "Good news, they've been able to make a mockup of the type of blade used on Evans. They are emailing the information to Spencer now. Spencer, can you get it on our smart board?"

Kate didn't have to look over at Castle to know he got excited whenever they used their expensive "tool". To Kate it looked like a fancy toy and she really preferred the simplicity of her murder board. But in this case, where not only information could instantly appear, so could images of matching weapons.

Everyone gathered to see as the smart board processed the information and begin outlining the details as well as showing images. The weapon itself was not really a knife. They had already known the blade was too long for that, so it was more like a saber or short sword.

Spencer pointed at the scanned cast representation of the weapon, "This is interesting. It has a slight curve to it, which is common on sabers. But there seems to be imprints down here. Nicks in the steel itself, so whatever it was it hasn't always been a ceremonial sword. Maybe a 19th or 18th century officer sword? I've seen similar items in the museums of …"

"18th century cavalry saber, primarily used in the revolutionary war."

Everyone turned to look at Castle, showing surprise at his knowledge, everyone but Kate. Castle had a vast knowledge of the arcane, but the way he said it unnerved her. He'd gone pale and his voice didn't sound like himself. She asked, "Castle?"

He walked up to the board to get a closer look of the casted mold. Whatever he was specifically looking for caused him to back away.

Shaw walked over to Castle to see if she noticed anything unusual. "You're very specific on it. What makes you think it's—"

"Because it's mine," he said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. Never taking his eyes off the screen. "I have it in my study on a shelf."

Now everyone turned to get a closer look of the image on the smart screen, everyone but Kate, who could see the sword in her memory of Castle's apartment. "It may not be that one, Castle, it could just be …"

He shook his head and pointed to the screen. "No, those nicks in the blade? My sword has those same marks."

"That means," Newman said, "he was inside your apartment before Evans was killed."

Kate glared at the agent. It was an obvious statement and she didn't know if it was that helpful to say it out loud.

Shaw turned around and looked at Newman. "Go to Castle's loft. Look for the sword. He may have put it back. In fact, let's order a full sweep inside his place. If Gulliver was in there once, he might have been there several times. He could have setup security cameras and we better check out his phone …"

Spencer came over to Castle. "Do you remember the last time you saw it?"

Uncharacteristically, Castle took a long time to answer, his eyes now watching Shaw. Eventually he shook his head. He crossed his arms like he was cold.

* * *

It didn't take too long for Newman to report in. The sword wasn't there. The team called Martha and Alexis as they were still at the safe house. They didn't remember the last time they saw it either. Martha offered that their cleaning lady may know.

While the FBI were questioning (asking) his family, Castle had gotten up and walked out of the room upset. Kate rose to follow him but Shaw stopped her. "I understand you spent the night at their safe house last night."

Kate felt herself become defensive though she had no reason. "Yes."

"We found that apartment at the last minute and so it wasn't entered into the database." Shaw leaned up against the wall. "If this theory is true and Gulliver can access our system, it may be a good idea to enter in a fake address."

"Set a trap?" Kate asked. "That might work, though he must know the FBI would certainly take extra care in securing it."

Shaw nodded. "Oh yes. But I think that's part of the draw for him. He enjoys thumbing his nose at us when he beats our systems."

"It's still risky. I'd want to make sure no civilians are anywhere near it. Gulliver seemed to have a tendency to grab whomever was nearby, and Castle would never forgive himself if more innocent bystanders were killed on his behalf."

"We would take every precaution to protect any nearby civilians," Shaw said. "But that is part of our current protocol now. The building Castle is in is half empty and we've now stationed guards throughout."

"Which doesn't look suspicious at all," Kate said, almost finding it funny.

The older woman shrugged. "It's the best we can do now that there is a chance Gulliver could be …" she looked almost sick saying it out loud, "one of us. I wish we hadn't called extra field agents."

Kate shivered. Castle still was in danger. While she was glad to see Shaw actively discussing the case with her, she needed to go out and see where Castle had gone. Gulliver had been inside his own loft and Kate wanted to see how he was handling it.

Excusing herself, Kate left Shaw to talk to her agents. Out in the hallway Kate looked for Castle, but she didn't immediately find him. As she wandered around he emerged from the bathroom. His face was flushed and it looked like he probably had splashed water on himself.

"Hey," she said, feeling lame.

He didn't answer. He just put his hands in his pockets. He didn't look her in the eye either.

"Castle?"

"Yeah?"

Guiding him to a bench in the hallway, she watched as he sat down. He still didn't offer anything. Sighing, she pushed. "Are you okay?"

"No."

She knew the question was stupid but she thought it would get a little more out of him than that. "Will you talk to me?"

Now he did look at her in the eyes. "About what? That my father hasn't just killed to get my attention. That he hasn't just stalked my routine. He's actually invaded my home. My family's home, Beckett! Finding out he's been in the loft, through our things, is disgusting, but what is terrifying is my mind imagines Alexis being there when he did it."

His voice cracked and Kate instinctively grabbed his hand. She started to say something but realized there wasn't anything to say. Castle's fears were real and justified and it would be wrong to try to dismiss them. Instead she needed him to focus elsewhere. After a few minutes she said, "I wish to God this wasn't happening Castle, but it is. What we need to do now is go back in there-"

"No," he replied. "I'm done. I don't want to know anything more about this. I'm going to ask an agent to take me back to the safe house."

Kate was so shocked it took her a moment to recover. Finally she said, "I think that's a mistake. You've been right to work alongside the FBI on this. Look at how much we've found."

"It doesn't matter what we've found out." He took his free hand and ran it nervously across his face. "He's not going to stop and I want to be looking after my family while he's out there. The FBI can do the rest on their own. They don't need me; they probably never did."

"No, that isn't true, Castle!" Kate couldn't believe now of all times he was regressing into humility. "If it wasn't for you …"

He stood up, breaking their hand contact. "If it wasn't for me, Roger Evans would probably be alive. If it wasn't for me, Agent Frederick would certainly be alive. If it wasn't for me … my family wouldn't be hiding away from a serial killer."

Standing up, she got in his face. "Castle, let's just go for a walk. After you clear your head—"

"No," his hands reached out to frame her shoulders. He lowered himself so he was eye level. "I am done!" He then walked away.

He had walked up to Agent Shaw and she knew he was going to ask for a ride but it took him a few minutes to get her attention. Kate had time to come up besides Castle. When the agent did turn to Castle, Kate spoke first. "I'm going to take Castle back to the safe house."

Shaw was surprised. Glancing back and forth between them, she asked. "Will you be coming back?"

"No, I'll be staying with them." Now Castle looked surprised but Kate ignored him. Shaw obviously wasn't keen on that idea and there was a certain amount of pride Kate felt that the FBI agent wanted her to remain, but she couldn't let that influence her. Protecting Castle was her priority.

They gathered what little they had and headed to the elevators. Once the door shut, Castle said, "Beckett, you can stay here. I know you want to solve this and catch …"

"Actually," She said, her heart fluttering for no real reason. "It's the FBI who wants to solve this case. I just want to protect you—your family."

If Castle noticed her slip of the tongue he didn't say anything. She chose to stare at the elevator doors on the ride down, feeling nervous suddenly. He remained silent the whole way.

On the drive back, he still didn't speak. Kate couldn't remember a car trip with Castle where he didn't say one word. Her mind raced trying to come up with something to get him to speak but it all felt phony. What especially was troubling was he also sat perfectly still. Castle never sat still. He was always fidgeting, checking his phone, fiddling with the seat belt.

When they got to the building and she parked, Castle finally spoke. His voice was steady and decisive. "I want to tell Alexis about Gulliver."

* * *

_I want to think everyone who is reading, following and reviewing. It means so much to me._


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15  
_Again, I want to thank everyone for reviewing. This story has come together because of everyone being so kind with their words._

* * *

"Are you sure?" Kate asked though Castle sounded so determined.

His voice was flat and emotionless. "I know I wanted to wait for a little while longer, but he's been in our home. Alexis needs to know."

They got out of the car and walked to the apartment. Martha and Alexis were happy to see them, though his mother's face fell when she saw their expressions. She knew there was more bad news.

"Alexis," Castle said, glancing at Martha briefly, "let's go into the bedroom and talk. There is something I need to tell you."

The girl looked perplexed but didn't argue. She followed her father into her bedroom and he shut the door. Outside Kate glanced at Martha. The redhead appeared exhausted.

"He's telling her, isn't he?" she asked.

Kate nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so."

Martha pulled out a chair at the dining table and sat down. "I wish she didn't have to know at all."

Kate agreed but Castle really had no choice now. She told Martha as much.

"What happened to cause him to do this? You got more bad news, didn't you?"

"Martha," Kate said, "I'm not sure it's my place to say. I think it would be better if Castle …"

Martha nodded, letting Kate off the hook. "I've been worrying so much about how Alexis would take this, I haven't had a chance to see how Richard was handling it."

Kate thought about it. Finding out Gulliver had invaded his home unnoticed had changed him and Kate was realizing how much she didn't like this change in Castle.

Eventually he and Alexis emerged from the bedroom. Alexis looked quite upset and Martha ran over to her granddaughter to pull her into a hug. The teenager returned it.

Castle had walked into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water.

Kate asked, "How did she take it?"

"Lots of crying, as you can tell. It's going to be a long night."

Kate nodded. "How are you?"

At her question he stopped drinking his water. He looked at her and gestured at his glass. "I wish this was stronger."

"I bet."

Pulling out a chair, Castle sat down and Kate sat beside him. Alexis and Martha followed and everyone stared at each other across the table.

Alexis was the first to speak. "So, what do we do now?"

"We wait," Castle said.

Alexis winced, "You mean, wait until he tries to contact you again?"

The adults exchanged expressions. "Don't worry about that. We're safe here."

"But … he was in our home."

Castle flinched, obviously hating the reminder but knew he couldn't deny that fact. Kate cleared her throat, "Alexis, the FBI and I are going to do everything in our power to keep him from coming anywhere near you; any of you."

"You can't watch us forever." The girl was always pragmatic.

By now Martha had tears in her eyes and she pushed back from the table, walking away. Castle got up to follow her. "Mother?"

She wasn't facing him but outside the window. "I'm so sorry, Richard. I can't believe … all this time to find out this about your father. I didn't know he was this." She didn't quantify what he was.

Castle put his arms around her. "He probably wasn't this back then either, and in spite of being in this situation, think of the good that came out of it. You wouldn't have had me or Alexis."

Martha laid her head on her son's shoulder and Kate couldn't pull her eyes away. She knew she should probably retreat into her room but seeing Castle manage to place a positive spin on this, to make his mother feel better, got to the detective.

Alexis whispered, "Do we know what he wants yet?"

The question had been directed at Kate so she answered. "Not yet, but we will."

She nodded and glanced at her father and grandmother. "You know, if I had been told that this man was my grandfather by someone else, like I was in school and everything is as it usually is I wouldn't have believed them."

Kate didn't doubt that. "I'm so sorry, Alexis."

"It's just … I can't believe we could be related to this person. Especially Dad. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body."

By now Castle and Martha returned to the table, though Martha didn't sit down. She apologized and said she just wanted to go to bed even though it was early.

"Are you sure, Mother?"

"Yeah, Gram," Alexis said. "Don't go to bed yet. We haven't even had dinner."

"Right," Castle said, realizing. "C'mon, let's make it. Kate, can you help me in the kitchen? Mother, at least wait until you've eaten something."

The older woman sat down next to her granddaughter leaving Kate and Castle to make the dinner.

He decided on something easy, pancakes, and Kate got the ingredients out. Now away from his family in the kitchen, Castle's body posture sagged. Kate watched him and knew that he'd used up all of his positivity trying to keep his family happy. Walking over to him she leaned in, almost surprising herself. "Your daughter is right you know."

"What?"

"You don't have a mean bone in your body." The compliment was sincere but Kate knew there was an opening for him to turn it into some sort of sexual innuendo. She couldn't believe how disappointed she was when he just smiled and went back to cooking.

Sighing, she turned to get back to setting the table, but Castle surprised her. "I believe you'd call the bones in my body 'jackass'".

It wasn't quite what she expected but still a short thrill ran through her. "Well, I never denied you were a jackass, but I certainly never called you mean."

They continued working in silence but after some time, Kate approached Castle again. "You know, I do hope you aren't worrying over something ridiculous like whether you take after him, are you?" By the way he paused but didn't answer, Kate could tell that was exactly what he was worrying about. "God, Castle, how can you think that?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Castle said. "People have asked me over and over again how come I—"

He stopped abruptly and turned away, pulling out syrup and butter from the refrigerator. When he turned back around, and ignoring what he just said, he asked her to bring the condiments to the table while he got the food.

* * *

It was no surprise that this meal was the quietest the family ever ate. Just "please pass the …" and "thank you" and eventual "this is delicious" were sprinkled throughout the evening. Eventually someone had had enough of the silence and decided to speak openly. Kate was just expecting it to be Castle or Martha, not Alexis.

"So what is the FBI doing now?" she asked, looking at Kate.

"Well," the detective wasn't sure how much to tell her, "they are following up on some promising leads. Very promising actually, right Castle?"

Castle didn't answer, just nodded his head. Alexis stared at her father realizing the toll this was taking on him. Getting up, she hugged him and it didn't take much for him to relax with his daughter's arms around him. The sight was a repeat of Castle's earlier hug to comfort his mother.

Kate felt a strong surge of emotions at the sight before her. She used to think Castle had lucked out at what a wonderful daughter he had, but now Kate could see how much they did have in common. When they pulled back, Alexis started clearing the dishes but Castle jumped up saying no, he needed something to do.

"No, Richard," Martha said, getting up. "Let us have something to do. You and Katherine can go sit and relax on the couch. I'm sure you are very tired."

Castle was about to argue but Kate interrupted him. "I think Martha has a good idea. C'mon, Castle, I could do with relaxing for a little while."

Martha did chuckle, pointing to her. "See, Richard, you've worked the girl to the bone and the least you can do is sit with her while she rests."

Kate's back was to Castle when she heard him say, "Yes, Mother." This made her smile.

When they sat down though, she noticed Castle still looked so defeated. Actually, he looked very tired. He was sitting on the other end of the couch and Kate realized it was too far if she was going to ask him about his comments earlier.

Scooting down, she was at his side and he gave her an amused look. She challenged him by meeting his eyes and waiting for him to speak.

"Either you are finally unable to resist my animal magnetism..." he started and paused. Kate normally would have rolled her eyes but she hadn't heard him say anything self-congratulatory in so long, she wanted to wait it out. He finished. "Or you want to ask me about what I was saying earlier in the kitchen."

Kate didn't know why disappointment washed over her. This is exactly what she wanted to talk about and they could whisper quietly so his family in the kitchen couldn't hear. Steeling herself, she nodded. "Yes, I want to make sure you aren't seriously considering comparing yourself to—"

"My father." He finished. His body stiffened. "He may not have raised me but there are inheritable traits that can pass between father and son."

"Oh, Castle, you are nothing like him."

"How do you know?" Castle asked. "I could be harboring a secret desire to kill people all this time you've known me. In fact, you suspected it in me when you first brought me into questioning on that first case."

Kate shook her head. She couldn't believe this. "I didn't think … God, Castle! You are so many things but you're certainly not this."

He laughed at that, but not happily. "I've always written about murder and death. People would ask me why. Hell, even the FBI did. Where do you think that comes from?"

"You can't compare your books to what Gulliver does, Castle."

"Why not?"

"Because, your books make people …" Kate stopped when she realized she was about to tell him how she really felt of his books. "In your books, the murderer never gets away with it. Your books never let evil triumph."

He didn't look at her. "If you say so." Clearly he wasn't convinced.

Kate glanced back at Martha and Alexis in the kitchen who were almost finished. Reaching out, she took Castle's hand, forcing him to look at her. "I do say so. I know so. Castle, you know I've worked enough years in homicide to say most people out there can be capable of murder. I can honestly say you aren't one of them."

Castle didn't reply. Instead he stared at Kate for a long time. She kept staring into his blue eyes, hoping to see what she said was sinking in, but the sadness and despair was still there. She couldn't let him keep worrying about this. "Castle, I—"

"We're done," Alexis said, trying to sound light. "What are you guys doing?"

Kate nearly jumped when Castle pulled his hand from her and answered. "Nothing." Standing up, he kissed his daughter's forehead. "If you don't mind, I'm going to go take a shower and try to wash this day off of me."

When he got to his bedroom door, he paused and smiled at them saying, "I may follow Mother's idea and go to bed when I'm done, so if I don't see you again tonight, goodnight."

* * *

Castle emerged from the shower feeling somewhat better but his mind was still heavy. Kate's words to him earlier were very kind, in fact probably the nicest thing she's said to him. Yet he couldn't get past the worry over what being the son of Gulliver really meant.

Putting on a t-shirt and boxers, Castle sat down on the edge of the bed. He was still drying off his wet head when he noticed his phone had an unread message on it. Reaching for it, he nearly dropped it when he saw a text from a blocked number.

_**You and I are more alike than you can imagine.**_

Standing up, he went for the door to get Kate but stopped suddenly. How did Gulliver know this is what he was thinking? Is this proof they had some unforeseen bond all this time?

Walking back to look at the phone under the lamp, he stared at the text message, wishing it could give him some more clues to figure out how this man managed to make himself known.

A knock at the door had Castle jumping like it was actually Gulliver. "Who is it?" He asked.

"It's Kate."

Placing the phone down, Castle went to the door and opened it. She had changed into something more comfortable, too. She looked softer now, and her hair was pinned up. She was wearing a baggy shirt but she folded her arms across her chest as if they provided a barrier between them.

"Hey," she said shyly.

His gut wrenched. For months he had wished to see Kate come to him like this, or at least be so concerned about him. For all her insults and impatience towards him, it was clear she did care for him to some extent. After he screwed up with the Joanna Beckett file, he really doubted he would ever see her again, much less showing him compassion.

But now he was related to a psychopath and it made him question his whole life.

"Hey," he answered, realizing she had been waiting for him to talk.

She took a step towards the door. "I want to tell you … I mean, I want to let you know that when we do catch Gulliver, and we will catch him, you're going to find out you're nothing like him."

He should tell her about the text message. But that would mean she'd find out even his father thinks his son takes after him. If Kate was her usual detached self, Castle could cope better. He'd be able to tell her. But he couldn't bear to show anything like this to Kate now. The way she was looking at him right now was almost breaking his heart.

Clearing his throat, Castle said, "Yeah. I know that. Of course I know that."

Her big beautiful green-brown eyes were still on him. They were still searching to see if he meant what he said and Castle stood up straighter, trying to look convinced at what he just said.

Eventually Kate accepted his answer and turned to go. As she walked away, Castle called after her, "Kate? Thank you … thank you for saying that."

She took a minute before she replied. "I mean it, Rick."

He watched her go to her room and Castle's eyes went to the back of the apartment to the back bedrooms, imaging his family getting ready for bed. Did they think he took after Gulliver? Shutting his door, Castle walked back to the phone and picked it up. Castle wanted to scream at him that he was wrong. They were nothing alike but he erased the message instead. When he dropped the phone back on the nightstand, Castle's hands were back to shaking.

* * *

Thoughts?


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16  
_A/N: I'm taking some liberties with Castle's reputation as a womanizer. But I think to some extent it is exaggerated._

* * *

The next morning Kate dressed quickly. Her mind was on the night before and how despondent Castle looked before he retreated into his bedroom. It plagued her so much she actually knocked on his door an hour later. She hoped to see some remnants of the old Castle before her but she was wrong. What did she expect? That seeing her at his door was enough to erase the traumatizing day he had?

The problem was she had hoped it would get him to perk up at least, she hated to admit it but she really missed having the real Castle around. The one who drove her crazy and got excited over anything that was new to him. He might be a jackass sometimes but … hell, was she really willing to admit she liked it when he was a jackass?

Opening the door, she saw the family was already sitting down to breakfast. Castle's back was to her and she could already tell he wasn't feeling much better than before. Walking in and saying good morning, the redheads nodded to Kate while Castle didn't turn around but held up his hand. When Kate walked around the table, she was shocked at his condition.

He was pale and had bags under his eyes. Without thinking she said, "Geez, Castle, did you get any sleep last night?"

His eyes scanned over to Martha and Alexis whose faces showed they noticed too but knew it would do no good to voice those thoughts out loud. He shrugged it away. "I'm used to staying up all night, Detective."

Kate rolled her eyes, not in the mood to hear one of his celebrity stories. "Please. This isn't one of your all night binges in Vegas, Castle. And there isn't a platinum blonde in sight."

Martha chuckled. "Oh, Katherine. Richard hasn't been staying up all night like that in years."

Castle gave his mother an annoyed look but she went on. "He might have used to, and occasionally was one to try to party, but ever since Alexis came along he didn't like to be away from her that long. Did you dear?"

"So … the playboy image is just for show?" Kate asked surprised.

"No, it's real," Castle said defensively. Upon his mother and daughter's look, he sighed. "Sort of. Black Pawn arranges a lot of it, and I did date a few of those models they brought in, especially in the beginning."

He looked at Kate. She expected him to gloat but he didn't. "But it's hard to be a partying playboy when you have a young daughter at home."

"For some reason I get the feeling I'm supposed to feel guilty about that," Alexis said, "but I really don't."

Kate watched as Castle's eyes fell on his daughter and for the first time in a long time his face lit up in a real smile. "Good. I don't want you to."

"Um, I need coffee," Kate said, feeling unsettled suddenly. Getting up she poured herself a cup and tried to remember why she was there. A knock at the door got her attention.

"Detective Beckett, Castle, it's Agent Shaw."

"Oh wonderful," Castle said. "I'm sure there is more good news."

Standing up he let her in. She didn't waste time. "We've found something."

Kate walked over to her as Castle stood to the other side of her. Martha coughed. "Should Alexis and I …"

Shaw shook her head. "No, I don't see why you can't hear this."

"What did you find?" Kate asked, daring to hope for a real lead.

"With the new ideas that Gulliver has been accessing our computer systems, yesterday we put in a dummy record of your new location to see if it would get accessed."

"A dummy record?" Castle asked.

Kate nodded, "Yes. Castle, yesterday Shaw and I discussed coming up with a possible trap to lure Gulliver back to visit you by using the system against him."

"I see," Castle said, confused. "What address did you give him?"

Shaw shook her head. "Just an abandoned building. We put some agents around it. He didn't show up, however the record was accessed several times in the last few hours. We cross checked that with the security scans that the system normally uses and we were able to trace one extra scan."

Now this was good news. "So you were able to trace the scan to a home?"

"Not exactly. We were able to trace the scan to an FBI computer. A tech analyst who works out of Washington DC."

"DC?" Castle repeated. "You think he commutes from DC to New York?"

"Honestly Castle, I don't think this is him. But I do think this person is working with him. We're flying her up now."

"Her?" Castle asked. "Like a girlfriend?"

Shaw sighed, sitting down. "Maybe. I was told by some trusted tech support specialists that Gulliver could have taken over her computer without her knowing, which I hope to God is the case because the idea anyone working for the Bureau helping that guy makes me sick."

Kate nodded. "I'm sure. But wouldn't she be an incompetent IT tech if she wasn't aware her own system was compromised?"

"Not necessarily," Castle said, sitting down. "When I researched this I found out surprisingly not all IT techs are God given hackers like they show on TV. They have their own areas of expertise and while she may be brilliant, if Gulliver snuck a customized code on her system that he wrote it's not like antivirus programs would be coded to look for it."

When Castle stopped he looked over at Kate who was grinning so broadly to hear him rambling on again, he had to ask, "What?"

"Nothing," she said.

"Well," Shaw said, now standing up. "We're still taking the precaution that she is working with him so we came up with a false reason for her to fly in. She'll be landing in an hour and I plan to interrogate her. I wanted to come over here and see if you were interested in joining me, Detective."

Kate was flattered. "You want me to help?" She wanted to, of course, but her first priority was staying with Castle.

Now it was Castle's turn to smile. "Of course she does. You're the best, Beckett. I've told her that several times, haven't I, Agent Shaw?"

Shaw looked like she was biting back a smile herself. "Yes, well, in spite of a glowing recommendation from a mystery writer, I chose to ask Captain Montgomery. He verified Castle wasn't exaggerating."

Trying to ignore the blush on her cheeks, Kate was surprised at how much she wanted Castle there. "Yeah, well, if I'm that good, then Castle, you are coming to watch, right?"

For the second time, Kate was glad to see a real smile on his face. "I wouldn't miss it."

* * *

Castle wasn't allowed in the interrogation room but for once he didn't mind. If the woman was a willing participant, he wasn't sure he could face her in person. He sat in the observation room while both Kate and Shaw took turns questioning the woman's story. Castle wasn't alone as both Agent Roberts and Agent Reid were watching and taping the interview. He was just glad Small Paul had elected to stay outside in the bullpen area. Agent Newman was monitoring the abandoned building on sight in case Gulliver fell for their trap.

The woman's name was Stephanie Brook. She's been with the FBI for a few years but was strictly on the technical side of the bureau. Her background was in database architecture and she worked to speed up queries over the large amount of information the systems held. Her position required that she have access to all the systems so that she could do her job, but it was clear she had no idea her permissions were being used to help Gulliver access records.

One interesting note they learned was she had been granted permission to work from home and thus her home systems were the more likely place the compromise had occurred. It was unclear at this time exactly how he accessed her systems but Shaw's gut told her he had physical access. So Shaw and Kate went over every person who is allowed into her apartment. The only person who had direct access to her apartment was a neighbor who had a copy of her key.

"Did they not tell you how important it was to not share access of your apartment while you had FBI authorization in your home?"

"He isn't like that!" She cried. "I've known him almost all my life. He knew my parents. I have his key, I watch his apartment, too!"

Kate asked. "You do? Why?"

"He goes out of town a lot. You can't think he's … he isn't Gulliver. That's ridiculous. He's been so supportive. God, it was him who pushed me to go into the FBI when they first noticed me!"

Back in the viewing room, Roberts muttered, "I bet."

Shaw said, "What's his name?"

"Ringo Woodley."

Castle thought to what his mother said. _I remember thinking of The Beatles…_

"God, it's him," Castle said. Both Reid and Roberts looked at Castle.

Stephanie went on to describe him. He was a traveling salesman, what he sold had changed over the years. He lived in the apartment across the hallway from her parents in DC and when they died she was able to keep the apartment. His apartment was sparse, he was an orphan growing up, and never married. She watered his plants while he is gone. When she had to start traveling for the FBI, which wasn't that often, it seemed to work out most of the time he could watch her place. She had a cat she was worried about.

They began describing his looks which Stephanie said seemed like an average guy. Except, "Oh, he has these really blue eyes. Ocean blue. And when he smiles, they crinkle up."

At that, Kate's head jerked back straight to the window of the viewing room, like she knew exactly where Castle was standing and they were sharing the same thought: what physical part of him looked like Castle?

Leaning against the wall, Castle placed his head in his hands, wishing he hadn't come now. He could hear Shaw and Kate continue with questions, and Stephanie was telling everything she knew. As Castle stood there, he felt his phone vibrate and he reached down to check it.

**You have to wonder how much you really take after me.**

He dropped the phone. He looked over to Roberts and Reid expecting them to know exactly what happened but they were too fixated on the interrogation. Picking the phone up, Castle stared at the message, realizing he was wrong not to tell Kate. He should have told her last night.

Unfortunately Kate and Agent Shaw weren't to be interrupted with Stephanie. And Roberts and Reid were so engrossed as well. Stepping out of the observation room, they didn't notice he left.

Outside in the bullpen, Castle eyes scanned the room and saw Agent Paul. "As if my suffering isn't big enough."

Walking over to the agent, Paul saw him coming. He was on the phone but was clearly wrapping it up. "Right, you guys have a person outside Brooks' apartment? We'll get a sketch to you as soon as possible."

After a few moments he hung up the phone. Before he could stop himself, Castle asked, "You guys are going try to stake out her apartment?"

Paul nodded. "Yeah."

"I don't think that's going to work."

Paul's look told him he didn't care what Castle thought. "Oh?"

"I think Gulliver is here in New York and he's not leaving - ," Castle had to pause to get the next part out, "- until he meets me."

This caused the agent to laugh. "You think all of this is about you?"

Castle gripped his phone tighter than necessary but something prevented him from putting it in Paul's face. He was tired of this guy's attitude. "What is your problem with me?"

"My problem, Mr. Castle," the agent said, leaning back in his chair, "is you think you can just show up here with wild theories and random speculation and think you can run with law enforcement. You have no training, you have no experience, you just shadow a hot detective, and think now you're entitled to running this investigation."

"I'm not trying to run this—"

"I've seen it before, Rick," Castle couldn't miss the pointed inflection Paul used on his name, "you make some lucky guesses and you follow a bright and actually competent cop around, taking credit for her work and now you're part of the team! Which means you go and make some reckless decisions and then it's on us to save your ass. When your new book comes out, you'll take full credit while the FBI agents who risked their lives for you will get some two line acknowledgement at the back."

"You think I'm that callous? That I really have no conscience?"

Paul sighed, calming down. He shrugged. "Your father certainly doesn't."

Castle felt strangely lethargic. He didn't move or take his eyes off the sitting agent. Paul was about to pick up the phone to call someone else, but looked at Castle, "Did you want something?"

Slipping his phone back in his pocket. Castle shook his head. "No, I don't. "

* * *

_I read on Tumblr that reviews are love!_


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17  
_Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing._

* * *

Kate left the interrogation room, she was frustrated. Stephanie clearly didn't know she'd been living across from Gulliver all this time. It was unlikely she was going to give them much. Walking into the viewing room she was surprised that only Spencer and Roberts were in there.

"Where's Castle?"

Spencer answered, "He got a text and stepped out into the bullpen."

Turning to look for him, Kate looked around the open area but didn't see the writer. Walking out towards the hallway near the bathrooms, she found Castle around the corner alone. He was texting and had his back to her.

"There you are." She hadn't meant to scare him but he let out a little yelp and clasped his phone with both hands. "Are you okay?"

"Um," he looked confused. "Yeah."

They stared at each other for a couple of beats before Kate decided it was Castle just being Castle and let it go. "Did you watch our interrogation?"

He nodded. "Yeah, most of it."

Kate waited for him to say something else but clearly he was just as frustrated as she was. "I really had hoped we'd find out more. Maybe his apartment will lead to something."

Sticking his hands in his pockets, he glanced into the bullpen area. "What are they working on now?"

"I don't know, I came looking for you. Let's go in there and find out …"

"No, I really don't … I'm not really up to listening to them talk it out again."

Kate studied Castle, he looked very uncomfortable but it didn't seem like he was shutting down again. "You know, we could take some of the information and go into the conference room and work on this together. You and me. I admit I wouldn't mind being away from the suits in there myself …"

"Actually, I'd really just prefer to be alone."

Oh. She hadn't expected that. When she didn't respond immediately, he took a step closer to her and asked, "Can you give me some time?"

"Why?"

"I'd like to … I need to have time to myself."

Now that was the last thing she was expecting. "Castle, I know it's frustrating …"

He shook his head. "No, it's not like that, I just … I need some me time. You know, I'm an arrogant author and all these people hovering around me has taken its toll. Is there somewhere around here I can be by myself, you think?"

Kate didn't like this at all. She'd never known Castle to even like being alone. Feeling disappointed, she forced herself to think about his question. "I think they have a rooftop you could go out on. You want … you want me to go ask their captain?"

"No," he said every quickly, too quickly. "I don't need you holding my hand everywhere I go. I see him over there, I'll go ask."

Kate watched in silence as Castle went over to ask the captain for someplace private. They chatted a bit and eventually the older man called a uniform to escort the writer over to the elevator, away from Kate.

Instantly Kate shook that thought away. That was ridiculous. Castle had been under a lot of pressure lately and this last interrogation, which initially had looked so promising, hadn't panned out in the way they hoped. Kate walked back into the bullpen and to Shaw's team. Shaw herself was going over what they knew.

"So with Newman still watching out for Gulliver to possibly appear at the trap we laid out, we should concentrate on a place we know he used to be, his apartment in DC."

Paul stood up, "I have some local feds watching it."

Spencer shook his head, "I doubt he would show up there. He's been in New York until very recently and it's obvious his target is Richard Castle."

"I agree," Shaw nodded. "I think we should send some agents in and search the room. Maybe he left some clues as to what he does outside that apartment. Maybe some information on his van or other places he stays."

Roberts grabbed her phone. "I'll work on a warrant."

Shaw turned to Kate and noticed she was alone. "Where's your shadow?"

"He wanted to be alone." Kate didn't understand why it hurt saying it out loud.

"I'm not surprised," Shaw said. "He probably needs a break."

Kate realized she could use one, too. Right at the moment, they were waiting and she needed to go talk to someone. "If you don't need me for the next hour, I need to run an errand."

Shaw nodded while she studied their smart board.

* * *

"It's been days, Lanie, and we aren't anywhere closer to finding this lunatic than before!" Kate said while she paced the ME's office.

Lanie was taking a break eating a sandwich and it amused her to see Kate show up without warning. For the last fifteen minutes she'd been ranting about the case but she knew her friend well enough, there was something else bothering her, and she could guess what it is.

"Girl, why are you really here?"

"I needed to get away. I needed to take a break. I mean, if Castle gets one I should get one."

There it was. "What do you mean Castle gets a break?"

Hopping up on an empty gurney, Kate said, "He needed to be alone, and asked for a place at the station where people wouldn't be hovering over him so much."

"Uh-huh," Lanie said. "Well—"

"He's never minded being surrounded by people before, Lanie! In fact, he always liked it when the 12th was full of people from officers to hookers to prisoners to lawyers. He threatened to pop some popcorn and watch."

"I'm sure it's different though when they are all digging into your life."

Kate laughed at that. Not a real one. A fake one. "We're only trying to save his life! Protect him from his crazy psychotic father who wants him for God knows what."

Lanie sighed. "And that, too, is enough to make anyone act weird. C'mon Kate, you can't take Castle needing some time on his own so personally."

"I'm not taking it personally!"

Lanie didn't reply, just stared at Kate with one of her looks. After a second, Kate shook her head. "I'm not!"

"Something has brought you down here to my morgue! Most of the time you've complained you want Castle to go away, but the first time he wants some space and you act like he wants to break up."

"Oh please," Kate said, jumping down from the table. "Stop trying to act like we are a couple. WE ARE NOT. He drives me crazy on a good day."

The ME let a smile escape her lips. "And on a bad day it seems."

"Lanie, I'm not upset because Castle is pulling away. I'm just upset at how we aren't going anywhere with the case."

"You can keep telling yourself that, Kate," Lanie said, "but it's clear your feelings towards writer boy have changed."

"That is not—" Kate was cut off by her phone. Taking it out, she answered, "Beckett!"

As she listened, Lanie recognized the expression on her friend meant she was receiving possibly good news. "Do you have an address? Okay, what about Castle, has anyone told— Okay, he knows? Good. Does he want me to come pick…no that makes more sense, you can take him straight there. I'll meet you guys there. Text me the address."

When she hung up the phone, Kate raised her head in the air. "They were quick with that warrant it seems. Gulliver's apartment in DC had an address to a cabin local to here. They already got another local warrant and are headed out to it."

Kate paused waiting for Lanie to say something but when she didn't, Kate took out her keys. "I know what you're thinking. It makes no sense for Castle to wait on me to take him to the cabin. It's out of the way."

"It's fifteen minutes."

"In the wrong direction," Kate said, glaring now but Lanie wasn't intimidated. "This is good news. Maybe we found where Gulliver has been staying, maybe we will find Gulliver himself and all of this can be over. Which is what I want, Lanie."

"If you say so."

"And then everything can go back to normal," Kate said, walking to the door.

"And Castle and you can go back to not working together, right?" Kate didn't respond to that but she paused at the door ever so slightly. Lanie sighed.

The cabin was in woods just upstate, not too far from the city, if you had a car. By the time Kate arrived, the FBI had already entered the building. It appeared the last time Gulliver was there was over a week ago. The team was going over the grounds and the cabin itself.

* * *

Kate walked up on the porch and past a uniform into the main room of the cabin. It was a great room where the kitchen, dining and living all occupied the space. Two doors lined the right side where probably the bedroom and bathroom were. What got Kate's attention was the center of the room. On the dining table was every book Castle had ever written.

Walking around it, Gulliver had lined the books up chronologically. Spencer was going over the books, Kate couldn't tell which book he had in his hands but there were page markers throughout. Spencer was reading over passages that Gulliver had highlighted. Before Kate could ask, Spencer said, "He's highlighted all the murder scenes, specifically the descriptions of the bodies."

Kate felt a chill run through her but didn't say anything. Walking past Spencer, she began looking for Castle. She saw his form through the doorframe of the bedroom. Walking in, Castle and Shaw were standing in front of what should have been a vanity mirror but instead it was covered in paper. "What is that?"

Castle answered, "All the interviews I ever gave, or so it looks."

Shaw was closer and leaning into the mirror with a flashlight. "They aren't newspaper or magazine clippings, he got all of these off the Internet. Printed from a computer. The pages were printed with the current dates so it looks like he started studying you about four months ago."

_Four months ago._ Kate leaned in to get a look for herself. "Which fits our timeline, if he found out about Castle when the FBI did."

Shaw nodded. "Right."

Castle, who had been behind Kate, now disappeared through the doorframe. She followed him as he went out to the porch. "Castle?"

He walked over to the far corner. Nobody was around that particular area but Castle whispered. "This is a waste of time."

Kate didn't understand. "What do you mean? We found where he's been staying when he comes here!"

Castle shook his head. "We found what he wanted us to find!"

"No, he couldn't have known that …"

"Of course he could, Beckett!" Castle said. "For years he's lived in that DC apartment and has been careful to keep that life separate from here."

Kate stepped closer to the writer. "But he couldn't do that forever! And he didn't know we would trace him through the computers."

Castle took Kate's arm, surprising her, and steered her so they could talk without being watched. "If he thought he was invincible through the computers, he would have fallen for their trap last night. Or today. He's not made one move to the abandoned building. Why?"

"There could be dozens of reasons on why he's waiting to hit that building. I'm sure it's only a matter of time." Kate put extra emphasis on the word 'waiting'.

"No, Beckett," Castle shook his head. Kate could see the determination in his eyes. "We've been chasing him so far and it's done no good. He knew eventually we would come here because he wanted me to see how thorough he is!"

"Castle," Kate couldn't believe he thought that. "Even if he did lead us here, he may have left clues behind he didn't intend. We will find them, Castle, we've got the whole FBI—"

"He's been living across the hall from the FBI for twelve years! He's been in their computer systems for years too. It's safe to say, he knows how to dodge the FBI!"

"So what do you want to do then?" She was frustrated with his attitude. "Give up?"

"I want …" Castle took a breath before continuing. "I need you to take me back to my loft."

"What? Why go back there?"

"Because it's my home, Beckett," Castle said.

If Castle thought he could find some clues there, he was losing his mind. "Your loft has been gone over with a fine tooth comb. What makes you think we will find anything new as opposed to here?"

"I'm not trying to find new evidence, I just … Alexis needs a book from the loft."

"What?" Kate almost thought he was joking. The look on his face was clear he wasn't. "You want to leave the most promising lead we've had since this started to get a book for Alexis?"

Castle tilted his head. "This place is a waste of time, and I'd rather help my daughter with her schoolwork."

"Well, excuse me," Kate said, starting to walk past him to find someone. "Let me get a uniform to take you back …"

"No, I want you to take me back," he said. She wheeled around and got in his face. She expected him to cower but he didn't. "I don't want you wasting time here either."

Kate didn't know what to say. She did want to strangle him but that wasn't such a new feeling where Castle was concerned. He wanted to give up and expected her to follow? "If I may remind you, Mr. Castle, your life is on the line so it would make more sense for me to …"

"You need to protect me, remember? You said you were more interested in keeping me safe than trying to solve this case." Before she could recover, he walked away. "I'll be by your car waiting on you."

The arrogance! The gall! Kate had half a mind to let him keep waiting but knowing Castle he'd make a scene and the last thing she needed was to be embarrassed in front of Shaw's team. She wished she knew where Agent Paul was, she'd ask him to take Castle to the loft.

After informing Shaw they were headed back, Kate didn't wait around to see if they wondered why they were leaving. Out to the car, Castle was leaning against her car, cell phone in hand, texting. Looking at him, she asked. "You telling Alexis we are going to get her book?"

He quickly put the phone in his pocket. "Yeah, that's what I'm doing."

After they got in, she started the car and pulled away. A million thoughts went through her mind. How can Castle want to leave? How could he just want to give up and go back to his apartment? They were close now, Kate could feel it. How can Castle not?

As if reading her mind, Castle said, "Kate, listen … I'm sorry if I was rude back there. But I do think this is the right thing to do."

A laugh escaped her mouth. "Right, and you always know the right thing to do, don't you?"

"What does that mean?"

"You didn't listen to me when I told you to stay away from my mother's case, you didn't walk away from it."

Castle took a breath, trying to choose his next words very carefully. "Actually, by the time you told me to stay away, it was already too late."

"Oh I see. So that makes it alright."

"No, but this isn't the same thing." He leaned back in the chair and looked out the passenger window.

Kate gripped the steering wheel tightly. "No, it's not. That was a cold case, over ten years old with no leads in sight but when we get a freaking cabin full of new evidence, that's just a waste of time."

"Evidence he laid out for us to find, Kate." Hearing him use her first name stirred something inside her, but she squelched it. He went on, "And as for your mom's case …"

"Don't!" she said, more upset tears were coming to her eyes. "Don't say another word."

He didn't.

* * *

_So next chapter is going to have a lot happen including some things you guys have been hoping for. (I'm not just talking about Castle confessing to the text messages)._


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18  
_I hope you guys enjoy this. I promised you a lot of things happen in this chapter. _

* * *

Castle didn't dare speak again which suited Kate just fine. At one point, he coughed but stopped at the look she gave him. She didn't look at him again until they got to the front of his door and she cut the tape. Since the last team went over the place, there was no longer a guard. She followed behind when Castle let them in.

"I'll be just a minute" he said, heading to his study. Kate shrugged, but after a minute it dawned on her he went the wrong way.

"I thought we were here to get something for Alexis?" she asked.

"What?" he called from in his study. She walked to the entrance and saw him by the back wall where he had a drawer pulled out. "Aha!" he said, his eyes beaming. Whatever he grabbed from there was not a book.

"Castle, what the hell is going on? I thought you said…"

He jumped up and led her out of his study. "I'm sorry, Beckett. I lied."

She turned to face him, bringing herself closer than necessary. "You lied? What the hell—"

"Kate, please, sit down. I need to get something else and I swear I'll tell you." At that he ran off to his bedroom.

Irritated, Kate pulled out a chair and sat down. When he came back in he slipped something into his pocket that she didn't see. Pulling out the chair next to her he sat down, maneuvering himself to face her. Like it was the most natural thing in the world he took her hand in his, removing the keys she had in her hand and setting them on the table. "Okay, I need to tell you something, but you have to promise not to get mad."

"This is not a good way to start an explanation, Castle. Why did you say you needed something for Alexis?"

"I only said that in case we were overheard. I didn't want to tip anyone off."

Realizing he was still holding her hand, she jerked it back and folder her arms across her chest. She held her best icy face she could, which did what she expected and made him squirm. "What is it, Castle?"

"Gulliver has been texting me."

That was not what she was expecting. "What?"

"It started last night. I'm sorry, I should have told you immediately. I almost did but … God, I was worried what you would think—"

"Gulliver has been in contact with you?" Kate interrupted, trying to wrap her head around it. "Why? Let me see the texts."

Pulling out his phone, he handed it over and she examined them. They were taunting and reading them made Kate's skin crawl, but something else she saw bothered her. "Wait, you answered him?"

Castle looked down, his face reddening. "Yeah. I didn't at first, but the texts kept coming so I replied."

"Why didn't you tell us? Jesus, Castle," Kate stood up. "We can trace this number. We may be able to loca—"

Castle shocked her by grabbing shoulders and sitting her back down. "No! That won't work. It's a burner I'm sure, and if he smells the feds around he'll dive underground or worse, he might try to hurt someone else."

"Castle, we need to—"

"I spoke to him on the phone, Kate."

Again with her first name, but she hardly noticed. "You spoke to him?"

"That's why I wanted the privacy. I needed a place I could really talk to him."

"Wh- what did he say?" It was the wrong question. But she had to know what he said to Castle.

Castle leaned back in the chair. "At first he just talked like he did in the texts. I wanted to hear his voice though. I wanted to hear my father."

She should have been mad, she should have been furious, but one look at Castle's face and that anger left her. He looked like a boy. "Why?"

"Because all my life I imagined him, Kate. In so many different ways and now here he is trying to contact me. Trying to say that we are connected. I had to hear his voice."

Now she took his hand back. "Castle, listen to me. You and Gulliver are not connected. You are nothing like him and you have to stop—"

He leaned into her. "What I need to do is stop him, Kate. We can do it. I've been thinking up a plan."

"A plan?" Surely he wasn't going to suggest they go after Gulliver on their own.

"Gulliver wants to meet with me. That has been what he's wanted all along and—"

"Absolutely not!" Kate jumped up, walking away. No way in hell was she going to let Castle anywhere near the guy. "Unless you mean to send an undercover agent pretending to be you."

Castle followed her. They were standing more in the kitchen. "No, that would never fool him. Clearly he knows what I look like."

"Not necessarily, if we—"

He took her arm and Kate hated how familiar he was being, yet she was glad for the touch. "Kate, on the phone he already knew we had Stephanie. He was expecting it. All along. And that's why he left the address for the cabin. He said he wanted me to see how proud he was of the my accomplishments—"

Castle stopped at that. He was choking up. Without thinking about it, Kate brushed his cheek. This helped him go on. "He was proud of my accomplishments in describing murder. He said he couldn't have done a better job himself."

"Oh, Castle," she whispered. "He's so wrong. Don't let him do that to you. Please."

He gazed at Kate and they were so close. She could feel his breath on her. She glanced at his lips and when they opened she held her breath, but he surprised her by speaking. "Thank you. But I do think we can get him. He keeps asking for a meeting. That's what he wants."

Kate had to blink a couple of times to focus on Castle's words instead of his presence. Once she absorbed it, she shook her head. "No, Castle, that's a bad idea. Besides, how is that not playing into his hands?"

"Because if I brought help, he figures it would be Shaw's team. But he doesn't count on you. If I went and met him, you could follow us by—"

"I said no, Castle. And there isn't anything you can say to talk me into the idea." She turned around and started walking to the door. "We're heading back to the FBI and telling Shaw—"

"Wait, Kate!" He grabbed her and turned her around to him. Again they were face to face. He pleaded, "Kate, he told me this would never end. And if I didn't come and meet him, he would stop chasing me and go after Alexis. Kate, I can't let that happen!"

Now she understood where this desperation was coming. "I won't let that happen either. I won't let him get to Alexis or…" she paused before finishing. "you."

"You can't promise that."

Placing her hands on his chest, she stepped closer. "I will put a bullet in his skull before I let him near you or Alexis."

This brought a small smile from Castle. He leaned in closer to her. "Well, I do believe that."

Smiling back, she said, "You should. Now we need…"

She was caught off guard by Castle kissing her. By instinct her right hand went to his cheek as his left hand took her by the lower back and pulled into his embrace. He deepened the kiss and Kate let out a soft moan. When Kate leaned into him that right hand now cupped her head. Her free hand snaked around his lower back and felt the muscles under his shirt. His left hand was still on her back drawing circles near her waist and Kate felt herself being moved to the staircase.

He lifted her slightly and she wrapped both arms around his neck now, her hands in his hair. He pulled back from the kiss but she followed him, her mouth wanting more. She lost all thought while her body pressed as closely to Castle as possible. He moved his mouth off of hers, but began a trail of kisses heading down her cheek to her ear. The sensations he was causing had her grasp the back of his head tightly and she heard him growl.

He took her right hand and led it down to his side where she was sure he wanted her to claw at his front. Instead he placed it slightly behind her. His lips pulled back from her ear and his other hand was around her. Kate's mind was in a fog but when she heard the unmistakable sound of clicking, she cleared up.

"Castle? The hell?" She pulled her hand to find it was handcuffed to the railing of the stairs. She immediately went to reach for his ear but he stepped back quickly, if not a little ungracefully. "Where did you get my cuffs?"

"Those aren't yours," he explained. "Those are mine. I got them from my bedroom."

"You son of a-"

"I deserve that, I do, but Kate I swear that kiss was just perfect and pulling away from you is the hardest thing I ever had to do."

She struggled to find her keys but Castle shook his head. "No, remember you put them on the dining table there. Or I did."

"Castle, you better uncuff me-"

Shaking his hand, he held up her phone, confusing Kate. "How did you get that?"

"The first time, when you were leaning in before. Hoping I'd kiss you."

"I DID NOT WANT YOU TO KISS ME!"

"Right," he said, smiling. "Anyway, I was surprised you didn't feel me lift it but it gave me the courage to try the handcuff thing cause man, I really didn't think I could pull aw…"

"CASTLE! I MEAN IT! LET ME OUT OF THESE CUFFS!"

Placing her phone next to her keys, he shook his head. Reaching into his other pocket he pulled something out and placed it next to her phone. Kate couldn't tell what it was. "Okay, so I'm going to leave this here. Once you calm down you will see what I have in mind."

Kate was hardly listening as she was yanking at the railing as hard as she could.

"Don't, Kate, you'll hurt yourself. I once handcuffed myself to that railing to see if it was possible to jerk the railing out of the wall."

"What?" She glared at him.

"Storm research. Anyway, it didn't work so I didn't write it into the book." He ran to the door and opened it. She started yelling for someone to stop him. "You're just going to yell yourself hoarse. Even if they could hear you, nobody is home at this time of day. Don't worry, I went upstairs so I could call Shaw from my home phone. I told her your car broke down and she needs to send someone to get us. When they get here, just yell and they should be able to hear you."

"Castle-"

"It will take time for them to get here, coming from the cabin. Should be about half an hour." He paused before shutting the door. He hoped it wouldn't be the last time he would see her.

Kate tried to calm herself. As mad as she was, she couldn't let him do this. "Castle, please, don't do this. He will kill you. This is what he's wanted all along."

"I know," Castle said. "But I still have to go."

* * *

Castle jumped in his Ferrari; he wanted to take the flashiest thing he had. As far as he was concerned, the more people who saw him driving on his way the better. Quickly texting Gulliver to find out the address, he waited for a response. His mind went to the conversation he had earlier.

"_I wondered if you were actually going to try to call me." He sounded so normal. Like he was a sales person wanting to sell some toner. _

"_I'm nothing like you," Castle choked out. He had to make that clear._

"_Oh Ricky, you know what I did when I found out you and I were a biological match? I looked up your profile and went, OF COURSE!"_

"_You know nothing about me."_

_He laughed a shrill laugh, not exactly a villainous laugh, more like a thug from an old gangster picture. "You live your whole life out in public, Ricky. So I know you very well."_

_God, how much did he know? "That's just the public persona. I'm nothing like that in real life."_

"_Even if that were true, I get more than enough out of those books. Those wonderful books have made you a lot of money. Just where did you think all those ideas about murders and crimes come from?"_

_This was his nightmare. This was not what he wanted to talk about. People always asked him over and over why he wrote about murder and he never had an answer for them. But now …_

"_Are you considering it?"_

"_No!" Castle said too quickly. "What do you want from me?"_

"_Just to meet and talk."_

_Castle almost laughed except it wasn't funny. "You left a body on my doorstep so we'd get together for coffee?"_

_He laughed again, "You're funny. I left a body on your doorstep because it was time."_

"_Time for what?"_

"_For the FBI to find out who Gulliver really is. And I couldn't come out without my family to support me."_

_This didn't make sense. "So you are going to turn yourself in?"_

"_Not exactly."_

"_What then?" There was some silence as he waited for Gulliver to answer. Castle's mind was filling with images of where he could be. An apartment. A warehouse. A car. Out in the woods._

"_I want to meet with you."_

"_Why should I agree to do that?" _

"_Because Ricky," Gulliver said, "if you don't, this will keep going and going and going. How long are you willing to put yourself through that? Your family?"_

"_We will catch you!" He would not take the bait on his family. Castle knew that was what he really wanted._

"_They've been trying to catch me for 20 years, Ricky, and everything they are finding now is what I want them to find. If they haven't brought in Stephanie yet, they will. And from there they'll head to the cabin."_

"_What cabin?" Castle's mind was scrambling to ask him something that mattered._

"_You'll see."_

_Castle shook his head. "Beckett won't let you get away with this. She'll find you. We'll find you together."_

"_The detective you have been shadowing? Please. I've seen every incarnation of police departments from here to Sacramento, They are worse than the Feds."_

_At least he knew Gulliver was wrong on that. "She's not, she's the best."_

"_I'm not going to keep talking about her, Ricky. Either you agree to meet with me today or …"_

"_Or what?"_

"_Or I start harassing Alexis. I'll start with her phone number."_

"_That …" Gulliver probably did have her phone number if he found Castle's. "I won't let you near her."_

"_Then I'll go find her friends. How will she react to finding out I am using her Facebook friends list as my next victim list?"_

_He had him. What could he do? Castle knew he had no choice._

Castle's phone beeped to show he got a text message which gave him a location. Before he started the car, Castle turned on the tracker and slipped it into his shoe, hoping that once Kate got loose she would be calm enough to run through the device's instructions.

The image of Kate in his loft wouldn't leave Castle's mind as he drove. Picking up his phone, he dialed her number knowing it would go to voicemail. Waiting for the beep, Castle began:

"Kate, I know you're mad at me and I'm so sorry about doing this. I really am. But it's probably for the best, because what if he hurt you, too? And because he can easily get at Alexis. I can't risk that either. I … I want you to know that this past year has been the best of my life. Working alongside you has given me so much inspiration. I hope you believe that. And I want you to know, I really do care about you, more than I…then you ever could imagine. I know you think I opened your mother's case because of me, but honestly Kate, I wanted to help you. The fact that you dealt with that kind of pain and loss so early tells me what an amazing person you are, and that's without shadowing you. God, Kate …"

He had to pause for a second, so he could compose himself, not expecting to become so emotional. But if that this was the last thing he was going to say, he had to let her know. "It's obvious I've not had to deal with anything bad in my life, not really. Not until now, with Gulliver, and all I can say is I was so glad to have you with me on this because I wouldn't have had the courage to do this, to try to stop him. I also know you can be there for Alexis and Mother because you know what it's like to lose someone. I'm sorry Kate, but thank you for putting up with me all this time. I think you'll like the book, though I'm not good enough of a writer to really capture what makes you you. Anyway, I'm sure they can find it on my computer after …"

By then the voicemail system cut him off. Castle put down the phone, blinking back tears. "Get it together Castle. Kate wouldn't be crying right now. The least you can do is man up and not do that either."

* * *

_So what did you think? Hated it? Loved it? _


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The worst part about being handcuffed and stationary was Kate couldn't pace. She couldn't remember when pacing became a stress reducer but it was probably right about the time she met Richard Castle. Of all the stupid, reckless stunts he'd pulled, Gulliver wasn't some garden variety criminal but a deadly serial killer who no doubt had something sinister planned for when he met his son.

"God, Rick," she whispered. She leaned her head on the railing trying to put out of her mind the horrible images of what could happen to her shadow. If something happened to him, how could she tell Martha? Or Alexis?

A knock at the door broke Kate out of her worries. "Detective? Castle?" Great. Of course Shaw sent Paul.

"Paul, can you hear me?" she yelled. She didn't have time for formalities.

"Yeah."

"You need to break down the door. I'm handcuffed."

"What?"

"JUST GET IN HERE!"

In one kick the door flew open. He walked in seeing Kate at the stairwell. "Where's Castle?"

"Gone to meet Gulliver. My keys are over there."

Paul looked shocked at what she said but managed to grab her keys. Finding the correct key, he unlocked her from the cuffs. "What do you mean he's gone to meet Gulliver? Has he actually known him this whole time?"

"Of course not! But Gulliver has been texting him since yesterday and threatening him, specifically about Alexis. He wanted me to help him but when I refused he tricked me with the cuffs."

She had gone back to the table to pick up her phone and look at what Castle had left her. It was some kind of gadget. Turning it on, a map appeared. It took her a minute but she realized exactly what it is. "This is a GPS tracker."

Looking down at it, Paul nodded. "Yeah, a really nice one actually. Look … it's found something."

"Castle. We need to go. How much distance do we have on this?"

"A good bit, but we don't have much time. It's nearly out of range." Paul looked at Kate. "We better hurry. I'll call Shaw in the car."

"Fine," Kate said. "You have those SUVs right? I bet you can cut through traffic faster than me. Plus, I'm too angry to drive."

Paul snickered. "I bet." Kate decided to ignore it for now.

* * *

Castle pulled into a deserted parking lot. They were in an industrial part of the city and many buildings were boarded up. When Castle parked, he leaned back in his seat and took a long deep breath, trying to find courage. When he scanned the area, nobody was around so he checked his phone to make sure he had the address right. He did. He wondered how long Gulliver would make him wait.

After all this time he was going to finally meet his father. But instead of it being a joyous occasion, it was a terrifying one. He very likely could become Gulliver's latest victim and hopefully last, if his plan went accordingly.

"At least we can catch him now," Castle hoped. As long as the GPS tracker worked Kate would find him, and if luck was on their side, it would be before his father killed him. Suddenly, Castle realized what it might do to Kate if she isn't able to get there in time. He hadn't considered that. Picking up his phone he wondered if he should call and leave another message.

He didn't have time make up his mind. "Hand me the phone."

Castle was so proud he didn't jump at the mere sound of Gulliver's voice. Of course, he was really more petrified to even move but hopefully he looked a little more brave (than he felt). When he handed his father his phone, Castle realized that Gulliver had walked up via the blind spot on the car. "I didn't even hear you."

"That's what most of my victims say." Castle had to squeeze the steering wheel to try to control his anger and fear.

Gulliver looked the phone over. "You called your detective."

"Just … just to say goodbye." It really was going to be goodbye.

Gulliver snorted. "Like I would believe that."

He then took the phone and slammed it hard on the ground, breaking it in several pieces.

"Hey, that phone cost $200." He sounded so lame.

Gulliver shook his head. "Can't let them use it to pinpoint your location. Get out of the car."

Castle did so. Gulliver didn't have a gun, but a knife. It looked new. Did he buy just for this occasion? For some reason, that made Castle laugh.

Gulliver didn't seem fazed at that. He said, "Start walking."

Castle looked to where Gulliver had pointed the knife. It was the northeast corner of the lot. While he walked, he heard Gulliver follow. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

"You're not much of a talker are you?"

"I am, just not here. I open up more when I'm in the comfort of my own home."

Castle was sorry he asked. When they walked around the corner a small alley waited. There was the white van. While they were approaching it Castle's mind started filled with the names of the victims he remembered from the FBI file. Will his own fate be similar to their end?

He had slowed down but Gulliver pushed him, "Open the door. It's unlocked."

"That's risky," Castle replied. "This is an iffy neighborhood, it would be a shame to get it stol—"

Gulliver's blow to his head silenced him. Pushing his son inside he tied him up. Shutting the door, he then checked Castle for a wire or other device. Not finding anything, he climbed into the driver seat, and started the car.

* * *

_Press 1 to delete this message, press 2 to save…_

Without hesitation Kate pressed two. She'd listened to it a couple of times. She almost had memorized it. A cough from Paul got her attention. She snapped, "Can this car not go any faster?"

"Not unless it was a monster truck." Kate didn't know what the comparison had to do with anything but she let it go.

They had made up some ground with Castle. The signal had actually stopped and they hoped they were closing in on the final destination. Paul had already called Shaw, who was on her way too.

"Why didn't he take you? I thought you and he were buddies and did everything together?"

"He asked and I refused, of course. He probably preferred this option. He doesn't want to risk me, or any of us, getting hurt." She fought back the desire to listen to his voicemail again.

Paul nodded. "Even to protect his family?"

She risked a glance at Paul. She didn't like him seeing how worried she was. "His family comes first, but he blames himself, too. Like it's his fault he's related to a serial killer."

Paul didn't respond. She remembered some of the insulting remarks he had for Castle. "He comes across as a jackass sometimes …" Paul now glanced at her. She amended, "Okay most of the time. But he's a good person. You would know that if you tried to actually talk to him."

Paul shifted in his chair. Kate looked forward, content with what she said.

Eventually Paul sighed. "Before I joined the BAU, I was assigned the Los Angeles office. About ten years ago, we were assigned a case. You know Tim Wolfe?"

Kate nodded, "The famous director who was nearly killed?"

Paul laughed. "Yeah, him. That was my case. I was the lead. Anyway, Wolfe had been getting death threats and because he received them from two homes in different states, it was a federal case."

Kate watched while Paul squeezed the steering wheel. He went on. "Wolfe used his influence to get as many federal agents on it as he could. We basically became bodyguards for him. I was one of the agents who was assigned to his person. Me, two others, and an Agent Kaminsky. Jill Kaminsky."

The way he said her name it was obvious what kind of relationship was there. "Of course, Jill and I didn't date. It was against regulations. But we saw each other, kept pretending it wasn't serious. Anyway, Wolfe would flirt with her something awful. She didn't like it, but there was nothing she could do. His life was in danger, those threats were real. It was obvious the stalker was some fan who convinced herself she was in love with him. Because of some stunts he pulled, Jill got shot and died trying to save his ass. If he had just listened to us, that didn't have to happen."

"Wait," Kate said, "Isn't _Federal Agent_ about…"

Paul sneered. "Yeah, he had someone write a screenplay about the experience. In it he was the hero, the Feds were useless, and he wound up having an affair with the female agent sent to guard him."

Kate hadn't known any of that. The movie's trailer hadn't really impressed her so she hadn't seen the movie. To be honest, she never had cared for the director. Now she was thankful of her taste. "Wow, I had no idea."

"Yeah, well, he made some generous contribution or something and we were prevented from calling him out about it."

Kate glanced at her phone, remembering Castle's message. "You thought Castle was like him."

"He … reminded me of him, yes. Especially when Agent Frederick was kidnapped."

"Castle felt terrible about that. He still feels terrible." She might understand Paul's attitude more, but she didn't like the idea of Castle being compared to a guy like that. "Look, he's nothing like Tim Wolfe, and right now …"

"Uh oh," Paul said.

"What?"

"Look," he pointed to the GPS tracker. Or where the GPS tracker should have been. "It's gone."

* * *

_A/N: Sorry this is so short. The next chapter is going to be another long one. Shall I give a clue? If you leave a review, I can give you a small spoiler about the next chapter._


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20  
_Happy Fourth of July. I decided to post early!_

* * *

Castle opened his eyes and everything was blurry. Slowly they adjusted to the light and the fog in his head cleared. He was in what looked like a warehouse. He was sitting in a wooden chair, his wrists handcuffed to the chair's arms. About three or four bright lamps were sitting on tables surrounding him. The room itself looked huge, while these tables were very close making a perimeter of 150 square feet. Items were on the tables, but he couldn't quite make out what they were, except for what appeared to be buckets on the furthest table. It was difficult to see beyond the perimeter. He could see large columns and used pallets on their sides. Wherever he was it was fairly quiet, though whether it was because they were far from civilization or it was the middle of the night Castle couldn't say. Off in the distance he could hear water leaking from a pipe.

It all seemed so cliché.

A toilet flushed and then footsteps echoed off the walls. Castle felt fear grip his heart. Turning his head, he saw Gulliver enter on his right. He was carrying something that Castle couldn't make it out. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.

"I see you're awake." Gulliver laid whatever he had down and stood in front of it, leaning on the table directly across from his son.

Castle started to say he hoped he remembered to wash his hands, but he couldn't get the words out of his mouth. The next questions in his head - _where are we? what are you going to do to me? how long have I been out? - _were really a waste, since Gulliver would never answer them. And despite all that, he had a more pressing question but wasn't sure if he could manage to ask it.

"You have nothing to say? Or ask?"

Castle found new courage. "Why do you kill?" The older man showed surprise at the question. _Could he really feel surprise? Was surprise an emotion?_ Castle couldn't help but wonder these things as he waited.

The first answer he got was in a form of a smile and it made Castle cringe. "Why do you ask?"

_Because I'm stalling for time. _"I want to know."

Gulliver was pleased. "I thought you might. But first things first." he turned around and picked up the item off the table. It was a crowbar. "In your Derek Storm novels, don't you have Storm get tortured with this?"

_God, where are they? What is taking them so long? _"He's a spy. It happens."

Gulliver laughed. "Think so? Spent a lot of time with spies, have you?"

"Actually, I have. I shadowed one once..."

"Yeah, I know." Gulliver said, walking over and grabbing Castle's foot.

Castle's immediate thoughts weren't of what his torturer had in mind, but that this was the foot where he put the GPS tracker.

When Castle didn't answer, Gulliver went on. "I looked through your FBI file. It was in there. You shadowed some CIA agent. You like following tough women around, don't you?"

"Who doesn't." Castle stated more than asked. Gulliver lifted his foot high and made Castle lean far back, the chair creaking. Off came his shoe and sock. Castle listened for the tracker to fall to the floor, it should make a nose on the hard concrete floor but he didn't hear it. Did Gulliver find it already?

Holding Castle's foot in his left hand, Gulliver lifted his crowbar with his right. "Let's see if what you described would really hurt." In a swift move, Gulliver slammed the crowbar into the bottom of Castle's heel. Castle's cries bounced off the walls.

"Looks like it does. We'll see if you can hold out as long as your fictional hero."

Castle did not make it as long as Storm, passing out after a mere half hour. He didn't get a long break, since Gulliver took one of the buckets and splashed water on Castle's head. "Wake up."

The pain in Castle's foot was throbbing but at least he could move his toes so his foot probably wasn't broken.

"You didn't last anywhere near as long as your character," Gulliver said snidely. "You'd make a poor spy."

Trying to work through the pain, Castle answered. "How would you know?"

His father's answer shocked him. "Because I used to be one."

"What?"

Tossing the bucket on the floor, his father leaned against the table. "They recruited me back in the sixties. I knew I was meant for something great and I was sure this was it. I was really good at it, too. At first, they wanted to use me because I was great as a sniper, but that was unfulfilling. The kills … they were too far away and it didn't seem real."

Castle watched as the older man leaned against a table and recalled the events. He noticed daylight was coming through some distant windows in the warehouse. Where was Beckett? Castle began to believe his device had failed under such conditions. He had felt it in his shoe and maybe he accidentally smashed it.

"Eventually, they gave me a torture job. Well, it wasn't an official torture job. They asked me to find out as much information as I could. You get so much information from torture. I actually got a commendation for that because what I found out allowed us to be one step ahead of the Soviets. That's when I realized I didn't give a rat's ass about the Cold War. My reward was watching the person whom I tortured cry and scream, and then when I finally squeezed every inch of conscious pain I could, I'd snuff his lights out. God, those early days were the best!"

When he went on Castle grew sicker and sicker. Gulliver's descriptions were all too clear in his son's mind. Imaging a younger version of this monster carry out tortures while working for the government was a psychological torture of its own, so Castle tried his best to tune him out, to stop listening.

Gulliver spotted that immediately. Grabbing his neck, the ex-spy put Castle in a choke hold. "Tell me, is this how Storm would snap a neck in your books?" He asked knowing Castle couldn't answer as long as he depleted the oxygen going to his brain.

Just as Castle was about to pass out, Gulliver let go. Castle coughed while Gulliver grabbed something else off the table. His son recognized the knife he had earlier when they met. "Do you like it? It's a military grade knife."

Pushing the cold steel flush against Castle's cheek, Gulliver chuckled. "You're very vain about your looks. What if I changed them forever?"

"I'd rather you didn't." He was sure he would die. "But…"

The knife tilted and the tip went into the side of his head at the temple. Castle whimpered but was proud he held back a scream. However, he couldn't stop the tears gathering in his eyes. He felt sharp pain and the blood trickled down his right ear.

"Don't worry, son, you look too much like me to change that face." Gulliver turned Castle's head to the corner of the room he didn't notice before. A tabletop mirror was set up and their reflection was prominent. "Just the many things we have in common."

_No!_ "We have nothing in common!"

"Wrong, boy." Gulliver took his own hand, smearing Castle's blood through it. He dangled his bloody fingers in front of Castle's eyes. "You have my blood."

Castle struggled, trying to push the chair back. His efforts only drove his father to laugh. "You think it's a coincidence a serial killer sires a son and through no contact between them, that son winds up becoming a successful murder mystery writer?"

_Your books never let evil triumph. _Beckett's words return to Castle and he shakes his head. "It's not the same. The story is never about the killer. It's about the person who catches the killer."

"Well, you can't completely turn away from convention can you? You have to make a living." Wiping his hands with a cloth he took a bandage and approached Castle's wound. "Let me take care of this. Head wounds make a mess."

The idea that his father was "taking care of him" made Castle feel even worse. Focusing on anything other than agony or their relationship, Castle asked. "So are you still a spy?"

"No," he answered, while he made sure the bandage was tight. "I stayed in it for ten years but decided I should get out while I could. The CIA gave me many skills. I learned how to steal and live off the land. I learned how to live very humbly, but it was the computer skills that bore their greatest gift. Back then computers were hardly personal-sized, but businesses and corporations were seeing the advantages of them. I made sure to learn everything I could, which gave me the foundations I needed to continue to use them today."

"So you just quit the CIA?" That seemed unlikely.

Gulliver shook his head. "You don't quit the CIA. Not really. I faked my death. That would be the only way to remain off their radar."

Castle waited for his father to continue. When the older man just stood there he braced himself, as surely pain would follow. But it didn't. Gulliver just remained in place, not looking at Castle but behind him like he was annoyed. Abruptly he cursed and walked past Castle, apparently out of the room.

For a few moments, Castle hoped this meant Beckett found him. But then worry crept in. What if she got hurt? He couldn't stand that. The sound of a toilet flushing was the last thing he expected. Especially since he had heard it before.

His father was back but not in Castle's line of sight. He heard a familiar sound, a rattling. Castle recognized it, it was a pill bottle. "Are you sick?"

"Don't worry about that," his father said. "Now where was I?"

Castle viewed his father through new eyes. For the first time, he was actually looking at him. Gulliver was sweating and his clothes were rather big on him. And he noticed a band aid on the older man's arm, like he recently had an injection.

"You are sick."

Gulliver turned away, which made it easier for Castle to be more brazen. "You've lost weight. You're popping pills. Apparently you have little control of your bladder…"

"Shut up!"

"What is it? Cancer? Something that's going-"

Gulliver practically pounded on Castle's chest. "SHUT UP!" He then struck him across the face. Castle could taste blood. "All of your super skills you learned from the CIA, they don't mean anything now, do they?"

Gulliver struck him again. Castle could taste blood. "You know nothing. It's nothing!"

For some reason, the idea of it being a minor disease struck Castle funny. He started to laugh. "Oh, so a urinary tract infection has you running to the bathroom! Or it could just be your age. Those adult diapers-"

This time Gulliver struck him so hard Castle fell back in the chair. Leaning over his son, Gulliver placed his hands on Castle's arms, letting his nails dig in, scratching him. Castle could feel the chair shift. It wasn't as sturdy as it seemed.

Gulliver leaned in until he was about four inches from Castle's face. "Watch yourself-"

Castle took his chance. Hoping Gulliver was light-headed, either from his disease or the medication, Castle slammed his head at Gulliver with all his might. It wasn't enough to push him completely off, but it did leave him dazed. Now that Castle was on his back, his legs were free and he used them to kick the older man as hard as he could. Gulliver landed on the table across, he and it going down.

All that practice with Derrick Storm novels came in handy as Castle was able, though with great effort, to get to his feet, but Gulliver was recovering, too. Castle rammed into him, carrying the chair. Gulliver expected this and seized the chair's sides, pivoting both of them 180 degrees so Castle would land under him, chair first.

However, this is what Castle had hoped. The sheer force finally broke the chair and now Castle's arms were free. Using a broken leg from the chair, Castle swung at Gulliver's knee, bringing the old man onto his side. Gulliver rolled over and Castle realized he was going for the knife, which was now on the floor about four feet away.

Diving over him, Castle was able to beat him to it. Holding the knife in his right hand, Castle used his left to push Gulliver on his back. At this point, Castle didn't know what to do. He had nothing to tie up Gulliver but he needed to restrain him. Gulliver started to scoot away so Castle used his weight to hold the killer down.

He placed the knife at Gulliver's neck which stopped the older man. He expected to see fear in his eyes, but instead Gulliver looked almost happy.

"Do it!"

Castle didn't move. He was trying to think.

"You know you want to!"

Castle wasn't going to kill him. Not unless he had to. He didn't believe he had to. "No."

Gulliver laughed. "It's in your blood! You were born for this!"

"I was not!"

"Yes you were!"

Their eyes locked and Castle could see the older man really was serious. But he didn't care. He just didn't know how long they could stay in this position.

Luckily he didn't have to wait to find out. In the distance he heard footsteps, lots of footsteps. "Castle!"

Never had Beckett's voice sounded so sweet. Smiling, Castle said, "It's over!"

Getting up, Castle kept the knife pointed at Gulliver and yelled back. "We're over here!"

His body ached to see Kate, but he didn't dare let his eyes leave Gulliver, who was glaring back. "You were going to kill me, Rick. If they didn't show up …"

"I don't know what I would have done," Castle admitted, "but I didn't want to kill you."

"Because I'm your father."

Castle shook his head, "Because I'm not you."

People were around them now. Kate was at his side. She was holding his arm, and he leaned into her. "Are you okay?"

Gulliver wasn't done. As they pulled him up and cuffed him, he kept twisting to see Castle's face. "No, you are. Remember, boy, it's my blood in you!"

Dammit, he was tired of hearing that. He moved swiftly and got in his father's face, staring him finally eye to eye. "But it's my heart!"

Gulliver blinked and the men took him away. Stepping back a few steps, he turned to look at Kate. He wasn't sure what she was thinking. He expected anger, after what he just pulled of course she would be furious at him. But her expression was softer than he expected, showing signs of concern, relief, and something else he couldn't put his finger on.

Castle realized he could finally relax. Then he blacked out. Kate caught him as he fell to the floor.

* * *

_A/N: So, it's over, Gulliver is caught. Or is it? Thank you so much for your reviews. _


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21  
_Getting to the end now. Finally. I want to thank everyone who's patience thus far on the story._

* * *

Kate watched while the paramedic was checking out Castle. They had an ambulance on the scene as a matter of protocol given the situation and she was very glad of it when Castle collapsed. He had a mild concussion. Bruises and scratches were obvious, but nothing too serious. The cut on his temple looked worse than it was. Still, she had been scared when he passed out. She had screamed for someone to help her; Castle's limp body had been heavy and she had no way of knowing what Gulliver could have done to the writer.

Castle was coming to and the paramedic was telling him he was okay. Kate approached, trying to express as little as emotion as possible. It used to be easy where the writer was concerned, but not now. Not anymore.

He looked at her nervously. "Hey."

She knew he was waiting for her to erupt. She wanted to, part of her was still furious at him, but she was so relieved he was okay and that in the end his plan worked after all. That and she could still hear his voicemail like a song she couldn't get out of her head.

"How are you feeling?"

Touching his head, he nodded. "Okay. Pretty good, considering."

"Considering," Kate repeated, "that you met with a psychopathic monster and lived?"

"Yeah, so I'm pretty good."

She wanted to be angry but his joking was a good sign. Surviving Gulliver was one thing, but it could easily have changed him and the idea of Castle no longer being Castle caused her heart to ache in ways she didn't understand, or refused to try to understand.

The silence lasted for several minutes. Kate waited, knowing Castle wouldn't be able to stand it too long.

He proved her right. "Beckett, I'm sorry about before …"

"Sorry about what?" She needed him to voice it.

He shifted nervously. "For handcuffing you, obviously. I'm sure that was humiliating and probably hurt your wrists …"

"Handcuffing me?" she said, getting more in his face. He cast his eyes down, nervous about meeting her gaze. "How about everything else? For not telling us about him texting? For actually calling him? And for going after him by yourself—"

Castle's head moved up. She hadn't realized how close she had gotten because now they were nose to nose. "I am not going to apologize for that!"

"What?"

"Not for going after him, Beckett." He leaned back some and his features softened. "Kate, I know why you are angry at me for doing what I did and I'd be mad at me, too, but he was threatening to hurt Alexis. He was going to attack her by killing her friends if he had to. I couldn't let that happen."

She fought the urge to reach out to touch him. "And if you have gotten killed? Would it have been worth it?"

"My life to stop him? Yes."

She hadn't expected that and took a step back. "Alexis needs her father, Castle."

"I know," he admitted. "But not at the cost of … what her grandfather was threatening. He would have done it too, you know."

She wanted to argue. She couldn't believe how much it frightened her had Castle been killed. "I know."

"Excuse me." Castle and Kate turned in the direction of the voice. Agent Shaw approached, looking tired, and she regarded Castle. "I should be furious with you."

"It's part of the service I provide to those working alongside me."

She ignored that. "Well, Gulliver is in custody. It's strange to say it after all this time. I won't approve of your methods, but as a parent myself …" she didn't finish the sentence.

Castle nodded. "Thanks."

Kate kept her eyes on Castle. The day was finally catching up to him and she knew he really needed to rest. "So what is the plan now?"

Shaw glanced behind her at her team. "I think you two have a well earned break. We will be taking Gulliver back with us to interrogate him. Well, we'll try, anyway. But if either of you want to come back and watch—"

"No, I've had my fill of dealing with him." Castle declared. "I'll be happy to never see him again."

Kate knew the cop part of her should want to go with Shaw, to try to participate or at least watch how they go about questioning him. In many ways it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, but one glance at Castle and she knew she couldn't leave him. And surprisingly, she didn't want to. "Count me out as well."

"Okay. Castle, I'm not sure what status your loft is in since you've been there." With a hint of a smile, "I understand a door needs to be replaced. You probably should stay at the safe house one last night."

"My door? Why do you have to replace my door?" Castle asked confused.

Shaw looked at Kate, who folded her arms and put her best annoyed face on for the writer. "Agent Paul had to break it open to get me out of there."

"Why didn't he use the key?" Castle asked. "Didn't I tell you I left it under the mat?"

"No!" Kate said.

Castle leaned back. "Oh, I guess I forgot. Sorry."

Shaw smiled. "I'll be in touch. We have a few things to wrap up, but for the most part we're nearly done."

She reached out her hand and shook Castle's and then Kate's. Before leaving, she turned around. "Oh, there is one more person who wants to speak with you."

Agent Paul approached, making Castle tense. The agent extended his hand. "I want to say I'm sorry for the manner I've been treating you. This case reminded me of a previous one which caused me to imagine preconceived … well, I shouldn't have held anything against you."

Surprised, Castle took Paul's hands and shook it. "No problem. I probably didn't make things easy for you."

After letting go Paul glanced at Kate, then back at Castle. "I should have known Detective Beckett wouldn't think so highly of a guy like you if you weren't worth it."

Now it was Kate's turn to blush and wishing to get out of there. "I wouldn't put it like that. I think it's time for Castle to go, though. He's probably exhausted and wants to see his family."

She hurried Castle away before he had time to argue.

Of course, Kate didn't have her car so they had to be driven to the safe house. Kate told Castle to get in the front seat. It would be easier to keep an eye on him. She entered the back seat from the driver's side. She shut the door just in time to see Castle forego the front seat and sit in the back with her. The grin on his face was hard to miss even in the dark.

"So, Beckett, how highly do you think of me?"

Leaning her head back, she sighed. "Oh, God."

"I mean, if it was enough for Agent Paul to notice, it must have been—"

"Castle, if you want to live to see your family, I suggest you hold your tongue until we get there."

Leaning into her, he whispered, "Thinking about my tongue? Why, Detective, what kind of guy do you think I am?"

She snapped her head up to come face to face with him. The old, arrogant Castle was back. Kate should have been furious; at one time she would have snatched his ear, but instead she was frozen in place, only aware of his breathe on her.

The agent getting into the driver's side startled them both and the moment was broken.

* * *

Castle did remain quiet on the drive back, but Kate could tell it was more from the exhaustion finally settling in.

When they walked in Castle was greeted by two very upset redheads. Alexis had been crying and Martha's normal reserve was clearly broken.

Castle shook his head, not sure how they knew anything. He looked at Kate who was just as confused as they were. Martha explained, "One of the agents called to tell us that you managed to contact and meet Gulliver, but he was in custody now. She said you were all right, but we were worried that …"

"Oh, no, I'm okay." He took both women in his arms and comforted them while Kate watched. He really was very lucky to be alive. As his words were helping them relax, she had to admit they were also lucky to have him.

After a few minutes Kate cleared her throat. "Well, I'll go get my things. Agent Shaw said you can return to the loft in the morning."

Castle broke contact from his mother and daughter. "You're leaving?"

Kate heard something in his question but chose to ignore it. "Yes, Castle. Gulliver is caught. You are no longer in danger."

"But … you can stay one more night."

"Castle, I've been gone for days from my apartment. I really need to get back." She braced herself for him to whine, but he just stood there and stared. That unnerved her. "Plus, I still have to collect my car. It's at your loft. The agent is downstairs waiting to drive me over there."

Leaving the family, she went into her bedroom and packed what little she had. She felt a weird emptiness overtake her as she did so. It was confusing, but she didn't have time or desire to deal with it.

As she walked back into the living room she could hear Martha cooking. Castle and Alexis were sitting on the couch, his arm draped around her with her head on his shoulder. Kate felt drawn to him, to them, but she fought the feeling.

When Castle saw her, he gently kissed Alexis' head and got up to walk her to the door. "So I take it then this is—"

"I'll be back in the morning. Early morning. I want to help you get back to the loft and make sure the door was fixed." Kate blurted out quickly.

Castle stuck his hands in his pockets, looking slightly relieved. "Oh, okay. Well, until tomorrow, Detective."

A sharp thrill went through her, but she ignored it. "It will be good for things to go back to normal."

For a split second Kate saw something in Castle's face, but it disappeared before she could make out what it was. He opened the door for her and out she went.

* * *

Castle couldn't get to sleep. His mind was racing. Not because of the relief that the threat of his father targeting him was now over, but on what it meant moving forward.

He had promised Beckett if she helped him through this case, helped him end this threat, he would leave her alone forever. This offer also extended to any coverage relating to the Nikki Heat series. Back when he made that promise she was barely talking to him. He had also had no idea what they were really facing. Never in his wildest dreams would he had eve guessed he would be targeted by the Gulliver of serial killing fame, nevertheless that the man was also his father. So much had happened.

On the top of the "happened" list was that he had kissed her. He finally kissed Beckett, and she kissed back, or so it felt. He really couldn't remember much more than his own enjoyment and intense concentration of handcuffing her to the railing. She hadn't mentioned the kiss at all.

Even more troubling to him was that she didn't mention the voice message. She had to have heard it by now. Why hadn't she said anything? What did she mean for things going back to normal? What concerned him was that going back to normal would mean not pursuing this new level of intimacy they created because of the Gulliver case. She had practically run out of the safe house now that they were no longer in danger. He couldn't ignore the symbolism in that.

Sighing, he rolled over. Her lack of input on such things led him to only one obvious conclusion.

* * *

_A/N: Comments? Thoughts?_


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22  
_Just want to say that I took some liberties again with Kate's history this time. I always thought when Kate said she was going on a date in Little Girl Lost, it was probably with Sorenson. I think the two of them didn't have much closure when he left and thus they fell into the sack._

* * *

Kate got to the door of the safe house, hoping it would be the last time she would enter through it. Before taking the handle, she had a sudden urge to check herself in a mirror. She shook the feeling off because it was ridiculous, but she knew she looked terrible. She had gotten such a bad night sleep. Half of her dreams were nightmares, imaging she got to Castle too late. The other half were the opposite. They were about kissing him.

She had done her best to forget the kiss and thought she actually succeeded, but her subconscious wasn't cooperating. It wasn't like she wanted him to kiss her, though he had accused her so. Maybe she had enjoyed it, but it was really just the shock of the day's events and the worry that he would do something stupid in relation to Gulliver, which ended up being proved right. Also, it had been a while since she had been properly kissed. The last time she had sex was a one last night with Sorenson, which did nothing but prove to her they were really over. Strangely, though, even when she and Sorenson were happiest, it wasn't anything like that kiss with Castle.

Placing all of this out of her mind, she knocked. The door opened and it was Martha. "Katherine! So good to see you. Would you like some breakfast?"

Smiling, Kate walked in. "No, thank you Martha. How is everyone?" She came walking up to Castle who got up off the couch.

Martha answered for her son. "We are better, now this is over. But I'm afraid we, and by we I mean Richard, missed you last night."

The glare Castle gave his mother was priceless and almost had Kate laughing. "Well, I can't say it was mutual. It was great to finally get away."

Castle's face fell and Kate instantly regretted her words. She had meant it as a joke but he didn't take it that way. She was about to let him know when a voice surprised her. "Oh good, Detective Beckett is here."

"Agent Shaw!" Kate was sincerely surprised. "I didn't expect you this morning. I believed you wouldn't be done with Gulliver."

"We're not, but we have made some progress in interrogating him over the night and I wanted to see Castle to update him before he went back to the loft." Agent Shaw sat down on the couch and Castle followed. Kate could see she was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. She bet it was still yesterday for her.

"You were saying you think you found out his name?"

Shaw nodded. "Maybe. The CIA was a little cooperative because his prints were in the system. His name is Jackson Hunt, but that could still be an alias."

Castle glanced at his hands, obviously remembering. "He said he worked for the CIA."

"Yes, he got out years ago. Actually, he faked his own death to hide from them so they were very surprised to find him alive."

Castle smiled but there was no humor in it. He didn't raise his head and whispered, "He said that too."

Kate was still standing and took the opportunity to sit next to Castle. Without thinking, she took his hands. "You don't have to worry anymore. It's over, Castle."

He looked up at that, but the expression on his face wasn't so much relief. In fact, he looked sad. "Yeah, I guess it is."

A brief moment passed but Shaw eventually cleared her throat. "He's sick. He has a form of cancer which …"

Castle broke his gaze from the detective to interrupt Shaw. "I don't … I was about to say I don't care, but the thing is, I'm afraid I might. He's my father, but he's also a killer and the last thing I want to do is … what I mean is, I don't want to hear about what he has, Agent Shaw. I don't want to risk feeling sorry for him in any way."

"I understand," Shaw answered. "But I will say he might have a year left, probably less. He's clearly afraid of dying a slow, painful death. Though Dr. Spencer thinks it may be more to do with an undignified one."

"That's why," Castle said, realizing, "he seemed to be daring me to kill him."

"Yeah, probably," Shaw agreed. "Which you didn't, and that pissed him off. He wanted you to be like him."

"I'm not."

"He's not."

Both Kate and Castle spoke in unison. They glanced at each other, and missed Shaw's smirk. Kate let go of Castle's hand. She had forgotten she was still holding it.

Shaw stood up, which prompted both Kate and Castle to follow. "Well, Castle, I have to say this will be an unforgettable experience, not just in catching a man I've hunted for so long, but in working with you and Detective Beckett."

"Thank you," Castle returned, along with a small smile.

Shaw wasn't ready to let it go. "You both have an unusual partnership, but it really works. I wouldn't have believed it, but it's obvious."

Kate only realized she was smiling at Shaw's words when she glanced at Castle to see he wasn't. He hadn't looked at her at all. He walked the agent to the door, but before leaving, Shaw turned to him. "I'm going to do my best to keep this out of the papers. You already have fans through your books, and the last thing you want is groupies who obsess over serial killers. Also, Gulliver is going to go to a maximum security prison which should restrict his ability to try to get in touch with you."

Castle's back was to Kate so she couldn't see his face, but his stature and voice inflection it was clear Shaw's words unsettled him. "Okay."

"I mention this because guys like Gulliver seem to find ways of reaching out. Don't worry, he's not going to escape. We'll make sure of that, but I can't guarantee you will never hear from him again.

"I understand." Castle said. Shaking the agent's hand one last time, she turned and left.

As he turned around, Kate approached him. "How are you doing—"

"Did mother ask you if you had breakfast?" He wasn't making eye contact.

Kate didn't like how he was acting, but she could only answer the question. "Yes, but I'm not hungry."

"Okay, well, we have a lot to do this morning. Before you got here Shaw said the loft was ready, so we better work to get everyone packed." With that he walked off quickly, leaving a confused Kate to follow.

* * *

A couple of hours later Kate and the family walked into the loft. Martha and Alexis practically ran inside while Castle was being a gentleman and walked in last. Kate couldn't resist a smile as she saw the two redheads practically kiss the furniture, they were so glad to be home. Turning to look at Castle, she was surprised to see him inspecting the door. "Castle?"

"You know, this is a new door. It surprises me because it was custom ordered. I wonder how they got it so fast?"

Kate laughed. "I don't know, but I'm sure replacing your door was the least they could do, considering."

He didn't shut it, but he turned to Kate. "Considering what?"

"Considering you helped them catch this guy, Castle. They couldn't have done it without you."

The look on his face made Kate flinch. He looked almost sad at hearing her words, but it was meant as a compliment and shouldn't have upset him. "Castle, what's wrong?"

Tilting his head, Castle answered. "Nothing. I was just thinking the same thing about you. I wouldn't have gotten through this at all - in fact, I probably wouldn't have survived - without you."

Thinking back to how close she was to losing him, Kate shook her head. "No, Castle. I mean, you almost got yourself killed, and for a short time we thought we had lost you on the tracker. That scared the hell out of me."

"It did?" Now his look changed and reminded her of right before their kiss.

"But that was actually Agent Paul and Dr. Spencer. We knew Gulliver was nearby and Paul called Spencer and asked about some statistics of the area that Gulliver would use. Apparently that kid studies statistics and maps, but he felt it was likely Gulliver needed to hide the van in the warehouse. Only one had a working drive up ramp which supported a van."

"Really?" Castle replied.

"So once we found that one, we ran in." Kate left out the part that Paul wanted to try to get a warrant first. Kate couldn't wait for warrants when she knew Gulliver had Castle. She ran ahead and it forced the agent and the rest of the arriving team to follow.

Castle looked like he was thinking on that but put his hands back in his pockets. "Good to know, I guess. But that wasn't what I was referring to."

He had taken a step closer to her and when Kate went to speak, she realized she held her breath. "It wasn't?"

"Yeah, I mean it's been like a week, can you believe it? Back when I begged you to help me. You didn't want to."

She flinched. "Oh, Castle, I'm—"

"No, you had every right to not want to help me. I've been such a jerk to you. Pushing myself on you when you clearly didn't want me around, and then to do the one thing you asked me not to, to look into your mom's case; you could've said no."

He looked so sad. Kate stepped closer to him. "I'm glad I didn't, though."

"And obviously I am too. Which is why …" he paused, and took a step back, straightening up. "A deal is a deal."

Kate was confused. "A deal?"

"Our deal? That if you helped get me out of this mess, I would never bother you again."

Now Kate was unsettled. When did she forget about the deal? "Right, our deal. Castle—"

"And I believe that it extended to anything Nikki Heat related," Castle said, taking a step to her side. Looking sheepish, "I need to admit that before all of this happened, I might have had an idea to use your station to have some interviews and fanfare in the works."

Now that sounded like Castle. Kate felt herself shiver, though was it really over the publicity or Castle stepping away?

When she didn't answer, he extended his hand. "Thank you so much, Detective. God, that sounds so lame. I wish there was something more meaningful I could do to show my appreciation."

"Castle, you don't have to worry about. .."

"I should do more." A look came across his face, "Would you like a pony?"

Now she smiled. "No, I don't want a pony."

"Too bad. One time offer." His hand was still extended.

When he didn't draw it back, Kate frowned. "Are you really serious? You're saying goodbye?"

Taking a deep breath, he answered. "Yes, Detective. I know that's what you want. This was the only way to get you to come help m- us."

It was. But was it what she wanted? "Yeah, I guess it was."

"Now you need to take care of yourself, Detective." He sounded so business like, as if he had finished an interview. She missed him saying her first name.

"I will." She took his hand now. The handshake was firm. Looking him in the eye she could see the determination there. Fighting off the inexplicable hurt, she took her hand back. "You take of yourself."

"Always," he replied softly. She went to the door and she could feel him right behind her.

She didn't want to end things, not like this. She didn't know what she wanted, but this wasn't it. Swinging around, she took him by surprise. "Castle?"

"Y-yes, Kate?" He looked nervous.

But Kate chickened out. Not chickened out, changed her mind. Coming to her senses. She was relieved to have Castle truly gone, but his safety came first. Always. "Let me know if Gulliver ever starts harassing you. What Agent Shaw said is true and if he starts to bother you or your family, I want to know about it."

He grimaced. "Right, you will. I promise."

* * *

Three months later, Kate had sat down at her desk with coffee from the cappuccino machine. On cue her mind went to Castle. All this time later and she still thought about him. Taking a sip, she forced the writer out of her mind. He'd been true to his word. She hadn't heard a peep out of him.

The new book was about to come out. While Kate came to realize that Castle really was going to stop interactions directly with her, she was surprised he did so with the publicity, too. She didn't think it was all in his hands. Black Pawn controlled the marketing and the Mayor was anxious to make it clear to the world Castle's latest book was based on a real NYPD officer. Yet no reporters or photographers or even bloggers had come forward or even put her name in an article during this time. Not that she had been looking. Well, much.

Getting back to her paperwork on their latest case, she noticed Esposito and Ryan out of the corner of her eye. They were watching her in their usual way when they thought she couldn't tell. When she would face them, they would react quickly and cover their actions. She knew they suspected that she missed Castle but knew better to say anything.

It didn't stop Lanie. Every week she would ask if "writer boy" had been in contact. Kate would answer with her most intimating look, the looks which sent criminals shaking, but had no effect on her best friend. At first Kate would try to make it clear she didn't miss Castle at all, but in the last month she didn't bother. The truth was she did miss him. And if Lanie knew she dreamed about their kiss, or even knew they had kissed at all, she'd have been much more vocal about his absence. Not to mention, Kate hadn't been able to delete that voicemail. That damned voicemail.

"Detective Beckett."

Kate nearly spilled her coffee at the sound of the voice. The last person she thought she would see again. "Agent Shaw. I didn't see you walk in."

"I took the stairs. Good exercise."

"Yes, yes." Kate grabbed some tissues to wipe up the coffee and motioned for Shaw to sit down in Castle's chair. Not Castle's chair, just an extra chair. "What brings you to New York? Another case?"

Shaw gave a confused look. "He didn't tell you?"

A sinking feeling struck Kate. "Who didn't tell me what?"

"Castle," Shaw said his name so matter-of-factly, Kate didn't seem to register.

"No, he didn't tell me." That sinking feeling was growing.

Shaw blinked. "I'm surprised. I would have sworn he would let you know—"

"Castle and I haven't been in touch since that last day in the safe house."

"Really?" Shaw asked, even more surprised. "Well, then that's why you don't know."

Leaning forward, Kate asked. "Know what? Has something happened to Castle?" She gripped the sides of her chair.

"No, no, he's alright," Shaw said. "I'm sorry, I wouldn't have bothered you. But considering it's Gulliver—"

Again, Kate interrupted. "What about him?"

Sighing, Shaw leaned back. "He's been in touch with Castle, or tried to."

"Son of a bitch!" Kate said, jumping up, slamming some papers away. "I told him to let me know if that monster ever—"

Now it was Shaw's turn to stop her by her grabbing the younger woman's arm. "Beckett, please. He let me know right away and I did my best to stop Hunt. But not knowing how he is getting the messages out, it's proven difficult."

"What does he want? With Castle?" Kate felt like murder. She wasn't sure if it was so much Gulliver or Castle himself. How could he not call her?

"He wants to meet with him. He wants Castle to come up and have a discussion. He won't really say what about."

At that news, Kate sat down. Gulliver was arrogant but did he really think Castle would ever want to sit eyes on him again much less share the same airspace? "So are you here to try to find a way to lock Hunt down more?"

Shaw didn't answer right away, just stared at Kate considering. "Actually, no, I'm here to make arrangements."

"Arrangements for what?"

"Castle agreed to meet with his father. I'm here to finalize it. It's set for tomorrow."

* * *

_A/N: I know you guys would kill me if I had left it where he reminds her of the deal. For those that have been patient with me in this story, I thank you (as well as those wonderful reviews) and I hope your patience will be rewarded in the next chapter. Too bad I can't change the rating of the FF. :D_


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23  
_We have only a few chapters to go after this. As usual, thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I got quite a few this time so I posted earlier. I hope this chapter will be acceptable. :D_

* * *

Kate believed she became a pacer because of Castle and now she was positive, because she hadn't paced since the last time she saw him. Now that she was on her way to see him, and she was pacing in the elevator of his apartment and the first thing on Kate's mind was how difficult it was pacing in an elevator.

When Shaw had told her that Castle had agreed to meet with Gulliver, Kate had gone speechless. She didn't know what made her the sickest, that Gulliver wouldn't leave Castle alone, that Castle gave into him, or that he hadn't bothered to call her and let her know. And because her paperwork could not wait, it took her to almost the end of the work day before she could leave to go see him.

The elevator doors opened and Kate made a beeline for his loft door. She didn't knock, she pounded. Castle opened the door quickly. Surprise was on his face at seeing her and Kate felt a surge of happiness at seeing him, but she ignored it.

Breezing past him, she asked angrily, "What the hell, Castle? I thought we had a deal!"

Shutting the door, he turned to her. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. His hair was tousled and he hadn't shaved today, probably yesterday either. He looked damn sexy, which pissed Kate off even more. He calmly walked over to her. "We do have a deal which I've honored. I have left you alone."

"But if Gulliver bothered you, you were to call me."

He looked startled. "You were serious about that?"

"Hell yes I was serious about that." Kate suddenly realized it might not be the two of them. She looked around for his family. "Where are Martha and Alexis?"

"They are in the Hamptons. Do you want some coffee?" He stepped into the kitchen.

Kate followed. "Don't change the subject. What has Gulliver been doing?"

Castle scratched his head. "He's been sending letters. He had our address in the Hamptons. I guess wasn't hard for him to find if he already had this one. When we got a letter at the beach last week I knew I was going to have to get him to stop, so I came back here by myself."

Her anger dissipating, Kate leaned on a bar stool. "Has he … has he reached Alexis?"

"No, not yet." Castle's gaze was on Kate; he looked to be considering something. "How do you even know about it?"

_Not by you_, she thought. "Shaw came to see me today. She thought I knew."

Castle flinched. "Oh, yeah. I called her when I got in this week and we've been discussing what to do. With everything going on, I hadn't told her about our deal."

"Which you are blatantly ignoring—"

"Beckett, don't worry. Shaw is going to help me with this and once I meet with him, it's going to be done. His health is deteriorating rapidly it seems, so it's not like he can keep this up for too much longer. I just need to meet with him in the meantime—"

Now she interrupted him. "No, you are not. Shaw can put him on lockdown. He can be put in solitary confinement, which he should be there anyway after what he did to you."

"Did to dozens of other people, Kate," Castle said softly. "What he did to me doesn't even compare."

He was closer now and his eyes had deepened. They looked so sad. She missed the twinkle he'd have before he would say something that normally would annoy her. "I disagree."

He slightly smiled at her words but there was still no twinkle. "You can go, Beckett. It's okay. You don't have to worry about this."

"But our deal …"

"You only made that offer to be polite, I know. You should not feel obligated to keep monitoring this case because—"

She stood up. "This case? This isn't just a case, Castle. It never has been."

He had been leaning over the counter across from her but off her words he straightened and walked around the edge. His eyes were no longer sad, but nervous. "Wh-what are you saying?"

"I'm saying -" she started but realized she didn't know how to finish. "I'm saying I'm here because I want …"

He waited for her to finish but she didn't. "What do you want, Beckett?"

She didn't know how to finish that sentence. This was the last conversation she thought they would be having. He had closed the distance between them. Her eyes left his and traveled to his lips. She recovered and brought them back up as quickly as they came down, she thought he wouldn't notice. It couldn't have been more of a fraction of a second. But he had and he moved just as fast.

His lips were on hers. Her arms reached out to touch his chest, she would have said to push him back but they just rested there. With the thin cotton fabric, she could feel his chest. His left hand took the back of her neck while his right rubbed her lower side. He tasted like mint and coffee. He tasted so good.

He turned her around so her back was to the counter. Their tongues never breaking contact, she moaned. He held her tighter and her fingers went for his hair. After a few minutes, his mouth left hers giving her much needed air. He wasn't finished as he feathered kisses across her cheek to her ear. Kate's right hand traveled to his shoulder and she leaned her head to the side to give him access. The sensations he was causing were making her vision blur.

Soon he moved to trail kisses down her throat, bending to reach her collarbone. His left hand was undoing the buttons of her blouse and she felt the cool air hit her chest but soon his mouth began kissing there. Eventually his hands were cupping her breasts and she leaned her head back as sensations were threatening to overwhelm her.

He stopped suddenly and her head jerked up to see why. He had taken the time to remove his shirt. The break gave him composure and he stood up, her eyes were now aligned with his chest. "Kate," he said, his voice deep. "Do you want—"

She didn't give him time to finish. She stepped towards him, her mouth kissing his chest. She never did stop dreaming about that kiss, and she wanted more.

* * *

Several hours later, Kate's eyes opened. Morning light was flickering in. She had no idea what time it was. Leaning over, she saw it was 8 am. The clock looked strange. She didn't have a—

Realization of where she was and who she was under had her sitting up fast, stirring Castle but not quite waking him. His arm had been on top of her and her hand had been holding his bicep. Quickly she grabbed what little bed sheet they had and wrapped it around her body. She silently rose from the bed, careful to keep from waking him. Once she was standing, she went to find her clothes; they were strewn all over the place.

Gathering them, she went into his bathroom and shut the door. Sitting down on the edge of the tub, she allowed herself to consider what happened. Memories flooded her mind of what they did last night. Seeing herself in the mirror, she raised her head to find evidence of where Castle's mouth had been. Her body shivered at the memory and she had to fight back an urge to go wake him.

_What have I done?_ she thought. She couldn't believe she did the one thing she promised herself she wouldn't: sleep with Castle. He was a playboy. He was an arrogant ass. He was not her type and he was wrong for her. While she dressed she tried to come up with excuses so it wouldn't look like she was running away. She could tell him that she had to work, but that wasn't true. She was off today, not even on call. She wondered if she could get away with leaving without speaking to him, but she knew that was cowardly. She wouldn't do that to him.

Opening the door, she found out she didn't have to wake him. He was standing before her with his pants on and his arms folded across his chest. Kate's mind went completely blank at the site of him and she almost licked her lips. "Hey."

"Good morning," he said. "You're dressed early."

"I'm … I'm late for work." She flinched at the lie.

He didn't believe her. "Really? Because you told me last night you had today off, remember?"

Now she really flinched. "I did? Well, I had, um, this meeting that…"

He rolled his eyes. "Kate, you're a horrible liar. You didn't say anything about today."

Slightly annoyed, her eyes flared. "Oh, really?"

"We didn't exactly say much of anything last night."

She felt her face redden and she started towards the door. "Castle, I still have to—"

Quickly, his right arm jetted out to block her path. "Running away? Seriously, Kate, are you that scared—"

"Castle, it's not that I'm scared …" she turned to him but realized how close they were so she backed up into the wall. "It's just – what happened last night was a mistake."

"No, it wasn't."

She shook her head. "Yes, it was Castle. C'mon, you know you and I would never work."

"We worked great for months, Beckett," he said grinning. "And that was without last night, which I'm so glad to say wasn't a dream."

She didn't know how to answer that. He was too close. "Castle."

"But you were right about one thing." She held her breath as he leaned into her ear. He whispered, "I had no idea."

_Neither did I_, she thought. "I don't know … look, this isn't … when I came over here last night …" God, she sounded like an idiot. But looking him in the eyes was confusing her. Damn that twinkle.

"Don't run away from this before giving it a chance. Please. Last night was so … God, good doesn't describe it does it? Incredible—"

Ducking under his arm, she took much needed space from him. "A relationship needs more than sex." Now he was smiling brightly. "Why are you smiling?"

"You just said we were in a relationship."

"I DID NOT!" God, he was infuriating. She turned from him to head into the living room. He followed. "This is what I'm talking about. You can't be serious for five minutes."

"Now wait a minute," he tried to grab her arm but she jerked it away. She spun to him though. "I've been serious with you enough for you to know that isn't true. Not when it counts."

She wanted to argue but it wasn't fair. That wasn't a fair reason to give on why they needed to end this now. The problem was seeing him like this her mind wasn't working as well as it was in the bathroom. "Okay, you do, but I'm not in this just for sex, Castle. I don't do that."

"Neither do I!"

Now she folded her arms at him. He sighed. "Okay, I've been a playboy. Yes. But I told you that a lot of that is just hype. Press stunts. I can't pretend I never had one night stands, but I don't think it's fair for you to you act like that's all I want from you. If it was, I would have walked away a long time ago."

She didn't say anything at first. After a few beats, she shook her head. "I don't know if I can believe that."

Now he looked hurt and she regretted her words, but she couldn't deny there was truth in them. Better to hurt now then later.

"Is it because I got into your mom's case?"

Actually, she had forgiven him for that, or at least let it go. His voicemail message, which she still hadn't been able to delete, convinced her he really was trying to help, but just in his typical heavy-handed way. "Partly, but you've enjoyed playing the dilettante. It's hard to see you as anything else."

"I see." He looked angry. Kate needed that. If she planned on walking out the door it was easier to leave with him mad than hurt. "Well, Detective, let me see you to the door."

Ignoring her own regrets— surely they would be temporary – she followed him, preparing herself to walk out. But when he opened it, they were both surprised at who was there.

"Agent Shaw!" Castle exclaimed, blushing now. Kate's stood open mouthed, wondering how they must look to the agent.

"Castle," she said, her head turning to Kate. "Detective Beckett. Good to see you again."

Recovering, Kate asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm here to take Castle to the prison. This is the morning we set, remember?"

"Of course," Castle said, but still flustered. "Please come in. Let me go get dressed."

Kate shook her head. "Wait, you're still going through with it?"

He was going to head to the bedroom but stopped. "Why wouldn't I? Nothing has changed."

She started to argue but realized he was right. She had completely forgotten the reason she had come over in the first place. Turning to the redhead, Kate said, "I was trying to convince Castle he doesn't have to see him at all."

Castle laughed. "Well, you failed at convincing me. Now, I need to go change so if you would let yourself out the door, I'd appreciate it."

"Wait a minute," she said, following him. "Aren't we going to discuss—"

"No," he said. Then lowering his voice, "You made it perfectly clear, Detective, there is nothing more to discuss. I If there is no relationship, you don't have to worry about what I do in my own time."

Oh God, she wanted to argue with him on that, but knew she had no right. However, She wasn't done, not by a long shot. "Fine. But I'm coming with you."

"What?" he asked.

"As you said, I like to see my cases all the way through."

"Fine!" he barked. He went to his bedroom door and slammed it.

Kate called back, "Fine!" She realized with indignation she had nothing to slam back.

She turned to see Agent Shaw staring at the floor trying to keep her expression composed. While Kate waited, Shaw said, "We can take my car. You two can take the time driving to catch up. You, um, seem to have missed each other."

Kate just shook her head. This was humiliating.

* * *

_Again, just a few more chapters, but now we get to see what Gulliver has in store for Castle._


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24  
_Wow significant amount of reviews last time. Thank you all so much. Now we come to find out what Gulliver wants from Castle._

* * *

They arrived at the federal prison less than two hours later. During the drive, Kate had ridden in the back. Castle had climbed in the passenger side next to Shaw without so much as a look at her. She should have expected it. Their fight over what had happened left him feeling angry. The problem was it had only confused Kate more. She couldn't make sense of these conflicting feelings.

Sitting in the car while Castle and Shaw made small talk, Kate mentally reviewed this situation she was experiencing with him. Before last night, she had missed him so much that she couldn't hide it from people who knew her. She hadn't missed him this much when she kicked him out of the 12th. It had been easier to let it go, though she knew people would assume it was because of her anger about his reopening of her mother's case. That may have played a part, but the Castle she spent time with during the Gulliver ordeal was a different one than she had experienced before.

Seeing him interact with his family, Castle hadn't been so much on "show". Most of his stunts and comments in the past had been meant to get attention, while also annoying her to some extent. It always had come so naturally to him and she knew it was who he was, but with his family, he had relaxed more. Oh, he had still made comments that were eye rolling, and the stories of his stunts in their family home proved Castle would always be a boy at heart, but he had just seemed more real. It was like when he was in the public eye, he wanted desperately for people to like him so he revved up that humorous side of him and sometimes went too far. Privately he had allowed himself to just let it come naturally instead of pushing it. In truth, Kate had already seen this side of Castle during that first year of him shadowing her, at least when it had been just the two of them and they had spoken of more serious subjects. Short conversations during car trips or grabbing quick bites to eat enabled them to have had what seemed like mundane conversations; it had been so natural and easy. She hadn't realized how much she would miss the ordinary Castle.

Once they made it to the prison, everyone had to go through several check points for security, including Shaw. They were led to an area that was marked "interview room". It reminded Kate of their interrogation room at the precinct, except instead of a two-way mirror one whole wall was solid glass. Shaw explained that prisoners met with their lawyers in this room to go over their cases and as such were given privacy to an extent, such as sound proofing, but it prevented anything violent or anything illegal getting passed between the inmate and visitor.

Inside the room were a table and a few chairs. They entered through a door at one end. At the other end was another door, presumably that led to the prisoner side through which Gulliver would come in. Kate glanced at Castle who looked very much on edge and she couldn't blame him.

"Are you sure you want to still do this?" Shaw asked.

Castle nodded. "Yes."

"Okay, well, here are a few things you should know. He will remain handcuffed. A guard is just outside that door over there and he will be keeping an eye on him, specifically for violent behavior. Kate and I will be over there on the other side of the glass wall."

"Actually, I will be in here with Castle." Kate wasn't about to leave him.

"No, you're not, Beckett." Castle said, emphasizing her name. "I don't need you in here."

"I don't care, Castle." Kate said, also emphasizing his name.

Castle was about to argue but Shaw shook her head, still wanting to get through with her instructions. "Wait. Let me finish what I was saying and you can work that out after. Castle, when he shows up, I highly recommend you don't call him father."

Castle looked sick. "I had no intention."

"Good, but that also applies to Gulliver." At Castle's surprise, she went on. "He's worked up this identity of Gulliver in his head. Hearing himself called by his first name, Jackson, always gets to him. On the other hand, I admit you calling him that may give an unpredictable result. It might be safer to just not refer to him by name at all, but if you do and he gets angry, remember the guard or I can get in here before he can do anything, especially because he's shackled."

Castle's face was rather white but he nodded. Glancing at Kate, he acted as nonchalant as possible. "If you really want to stay, you can."

She didn't show any feeling at that. Castle was scared and she just wanted to get him out of here as quickly as possible.

There was a knock at the door and Shaw nodded. "Okay, he's on his way. Remember, I'll be out here."

Castle and Kate took a seat and waited what seemed like forever. Eventually the guard's door opened and in walked Hunt. He was cuffed with the chains as Shaw said he would be. He was carrying a book, but neither Kate nor Castle could make it out. What got more of their attention was his body. He had withered away a good deal. Obviously his cancer had taken its toll.

Hunt's eyes went immediately to Kate. He didn't like her presence. "What's she doing here?"

"You want to talk to Castle, you get me, too."

He sneered when he took a seat. He tried to hide the pain he felt, but there was still a slight flinch in his expression. Turning to his son he said, "So you really can't stand on your own without a woman by your side."

At first Castle didn't respond and Kate was worried the situation was too much for him, but he did answer. "Actually it's more like women can't leave my side."

She had to fight back an urge to roll her eyes.

"Well, I know about Detective Beckett. I studied you, honey, while I was studying my son. Must have been hard to lose your mother while in college—"

"If you're just going to try to rattle her, we will both leave now." Castle stood up and Kate was impressed at how resolved he looked.

"Sit down, Rick." At least he wasn't calling him 'son'. "I wanted to speak to you."

Castle did so while folding his arms in a defensive way. "So what do you want?"

Hunt smiled and Kate braced herself for what probably was coming. "I need your help. The media is reporting some wild stories and I want to make sure my story is heard. Having an award-winning mystery author for a son comes in real handy."

"Excuse me?" Castle said incredulously.

"I want you to write a book about me."

Castle shook his head. "You can't be serious."

"Very serious."

Now Kate stood up. "C'mon, Castle, let's leave. This is just a waste of time."

"No, it's not, Detective. I assure you that if he does this I will make it very much worth his time."

Castle scoffed. "There isn't enough money in the world."

"Not in money, but in information."

Kate was growing annoyed. "What information could you possibly have, Jackson?"

Shaw was right. He didn't like being called Jackson but it didn't faze him as much as Kate had hoped. "Information on my victims. All of my victims."

"I think you put your victims through enough, Jackson," Castle now said. "If you think I'm going to put them through more needless suffering—"

"But I can give you information that will help them. Of course, that doesn't have to go in the book. I know that's what haunts you, Rick. The lives I have taken. That your father took. I had hoped you would be like me, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. So now you need to step up and help your old man tell his story. You are a writer after all."

Hunt got out his book and Kate could see it was a journal. "I've written up my early life here. I have many talents, but it turns out writing isn't one of them. I guess you got that from your mother's side."

"I don't care what's in that journal. I'm not going to write anything."

A piece of paper slipped out. Hunt held it up. "Know what's on this page?"

"I don't care." Castle's voice cracked. Kate glanced at Shaw through the window wishing she would stop this but knew they had to get through it.

"A name, a year, and a city."

Castle glanced at the sheet and back to his father. "So what?"

He sat there for a few minutes and then leaned forward. "You really can't fathom, Castle? Well, what about you, Detective? If you were given a sheet of paper from a serial killer who had been terrorizing the country for years with a name, a year, and a city, what would you make of it?"

Kate had gone white. She realized now what Gulliver had. Castle looked at her for an explanation and it took all her energy to answer. "A victim."

Castle glanced back at his father. "So you remember the name of one of your victims? The FBI already have your—"

"Not this name they don't." He smiled.

Now Castle got it. "A victim they don't know about."

"Everyone thought I only killed every six months. The truth is, I only killed in major cities every six months. In reality I killed far more often in small towns, farms, rural towns where my killings went unsolved and in some cases, unnoticed."

"How many?" Castle demanded. He was so angry; Kate could see how he was gripping the sides of the table.

"Dozens at least. Maybe close to a hundred." Hunt started to laugh.

"What does that have to do with Castle?" Kate asked, but she already suspected.

"I knew he wouldn't want to write my story. I'm not allowed to publish it as I'd be profiting from all those murders, but by working with me on this project I'll give him one name each time he visits with—"

Kate was furious. "There is no way in hell he's going to do that. And you can go to hell—"

"Kate!" Castle said, and put a hand on her shoulder to settle her down. She was surprised by how composed he was, until she looked at him. He looked like he wanted to throw up. "How many names are there?"

"Plenty! I am very good at what I do!"

Castle shifted in his chair. "You're dying. What if you die before we get all the names?"

He shrugged. "I have at least three months left, maybe more. The point to all of this is to have the book published. So at the end of the three months when I see the letter from the publishing company that they will print the book, I will give you a list of the rest of the names."

Kate couldn't believe he was considering this. "Castle, you can't be seriously considering this offer."

"I think … I have to, Kate." Castle didn't face her.

"No, you don't! Castle, now that he's in custody the FBI can follow his trail. They know his real name and over time the aliases he uses will be found and they will find the victims on their own …"

"Why don't you ask Special Supervisory Agent Shaw what they have so far?" He was too smug. "Maybe they could locate the most recent victims, but my list goes back to the 1980s, before everything was on computers. That's a long time for someone to wait to find out what happened to their sister, their brother, even … their mother!"

Kate glared at him. "How dare you? Don't even pretend you know anything about my mother—"

"Oh, I had nothing to do with that, but I'm willing to bet that's why he's going to do this." Hunt pointed to Castle now. He still couldn't make eye contact with anyone. "He can't give you closure on your mom's murder, but he could do that for so many other people. Isn't that right?"

Closing his eyes, Castle said, "Three names. Every time I come here, I want three names from you, not just one. Just in case you die before we can finish."

"No, Castle, look at me." She couldn't believe this was happening. "This isn't … you can't put your name on this and you certainly don't want to immortalize his life. What he's offering just isn't worth …" she stopped at the look he was giving her. She wanted to say soul. It wasn't worth his soul.

He leaned in and whispered, "Kate, I can't not do this. I don't want to, but how can I say no? It would be like saying no to finding out who your mom's killer is."

Her heart was breaking. She blinked away tears in her eyes. She ached to kiss him and tell him it would be okay if he didn't do this. But like when he handcuffed her to his stairwell, she knew he was just as determined now.

Hunt was growing impatient. "This is very touching, but I'm on a deadline. I have my journal and one name here now. You could change your mind and at least this person's family can find closure. But I bet you will come back."

Castle turned to him. "Give it to me. Now."

He smiled and he pushed the information over to him. The paper with the name was folded. "You were so quick to tell me you were practically my opposite. If that's true, you won't be able to say no."

Castle took the book and paper from him. He opened the page up and read it. Kate kept watching Hunt, who grew happier by the second. If she had her gun, she would have been severely tempted to shoot him in the head. "Let's go, Castle."

When they walked out he called "See you next week! Bring me your draft version of that journal and I'll give you three more names, and of course, another journal."

Outside the room, Shaw stood up. Through the glass, everyone could see the guard open the door and take Hunt back to his cell. Shaw extended her hand and for a second Kate wondered if she wanted to shake Castle's hand. Instead he put the page in her hand.

Her expression didn't waiver. And since the room was sound proof, there was only one conclusion. Kate said, "You knew this is what he wanted."

"I knew he had names of more victims, but he wouldn't give them to us. I also knew he'd been trying to get his memoir published and was very angry when he was denied. It wasn't too hard to figure out that's what he wanted from you, Castle."

"You're okay with this?" Castle asked.

"No, but people write books on serial killers all the time, and if it solves cold cases …"

"I don't think it's that simple!" Kate snapped. "Castle has a reputation and people will look into why he's writing about him. The press does not know they are related but if that comes to light …"

"Then it comes to light." Castle said, he looked calm but his voice betrayed him. "Will that information there be enough to solve the crime?"

Shaw nodded. "It's enough to let the victim's families know what happened to this person. If they want more details, well, given it's Gulliver they probably will be fine with never finding the body."

* * *

_So what did you think? Do you think Gulliver has the upper hand now? Can Kate convince Castle not to do this and should she? _


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25  
_Thank you again for all the reviews._

* * *

Kate was livid by Hunt's reasons for seeing Castle and she was even more so that Castle was contemplating it. When they got in Shaw's SUV she immediately began telling him how wrong this was and he didn't need to do it, but he asked her to be quiet and let him think—something in and of itself out of character for him. She waited and the rest of the ride was almost in total silence. This silence annoyed her all the more; the one time she needs Castle to talk and he hardly says anything.

Shaw dropped them off at his door and Castle tried to say goodbye, but she followed him up to the loft. As soon as they walked in, she resumed her lecture. "Castle, the last thing you want to do is help Hunt with anything!"

Going into his study, he placed the journal on the desk, his hand lingering over it. She swore she could see him physically tremble when he turned away. "It's the last thing I want to do, but I still have to do it."

Rushing to him she tried to take his hands, but he pulled them away. "Detective, I think it's time for you to go. Remember, I'm just a dilettante who you can't trust further than you can—"

"Castle," Kate said softly. He was right in front of her and their eyes locked on each other. "You frighten me, you know."

This confession softened him. "Why, because of Gull—, I mean Hunt? Kate, I'm not going to let him suck me into his world …"

He stopped as she was shaking her head. After a few moments she gathered the courage to tell him. "You get to me in ways I've never let anyone get to me before. I don't … I don't understand how it happened. The last thing I thought would happen is how I feel…"

He was holding his breath waiting for those next words but they never came. "How you feel, what?"

"This." She stepped up and kissed him, putting her arms around his neck. He didn't waste any time in responding. His arms circled her and for a few minutes they let their bodies feel each other.

Eventually they had to stop for air. Kate pulled back slightly. She needed to see his face. "God, Castle, at first all I wanted to do was strangle you. Now it's a toss up between that and kissing you."

"You know my vote."

Though she delighted in seeing the twinkle in his eyes, she held back a smile. "I'm sorry I tried to run away this morning. As long as I know we are in this together, I won't let it happen again."

"We are," he said very quickly. He leaned up against his desk and pulled her closer.

She almost let him but then her eyes noticed the journal and she came back to another issue they couldn't let wait. "Are you really going to write this? I'm just scared for you to do something like this. I feel like this isn't about telling his story but instead getting into your head."

Castle sighed. "Probably."

She was startled he realized it. "You know that?"

"I thought about it on the way back here. Maybe he's still trying to influence me. Having me read his journal, which I'm sure will include every grizzly detail on the murders, will be hard to get through. Hopefully I can make it clear to him that while audiences will want to read about him, there is no way they are going to get every bloody detail in the official book."

"And if he insists?" Kate asked.

Taking out his office chair, he pushed it towards another chair in the office so they were facing each other. Taking Kate's hand he guided her to sit in one and he took the other. "I'm not going to sit on this and let victims' families not get the closure they deserve."

"But— "

"Kate, do you remember when you accused me of diving into your mom's murder for me and not for you?"

Oddly, Kate preferred to speak about Gulliver than this subject. "It's not the same."

"Yes it is!" He stared a beat into her eyes. "Some people on his 'list' probably don't know whatever happened to their relatives. They probably weren't on the FBI's radar. Small, rural communities where someone vanishes and there is no chance for the local authorities to realize what really— "

He stopped as it was getting to him. She gestured for him to continue.

"I think it's better to know what happened. Maybe the logic behind the why is dark and twisted, but putting an explanation to something helps you get past it. If you don't know that though, you force yourself to keep wondering and it's going to make you crazy. I simply hate you have to live with that."

She leaned back in her seat. She felt like crying. He had hit the nail on the head. "Knowing what happened is better."

"So you see why I have to do this."

Maybe. But still. "But Castle, putting your name on it— "

"I'm not going to put my name on it. Oh, he'll think I will, but I can use an alias."

She was relieved but surprised. "The publishing company will let you do that?"

"They will if they want the book." He got up to pour himself a drink. Holding up a glass, he gestured to see if she wanted one. She nodded, so he poured two glasses and returned. "I wish they wouldn't want it, but they will."

Taking a sip of the alcohol, she thought for a minute. "Maybe you don't have to take it to them. Bluff him all the way."

"I thought about that, but I just think … it's too risky if he were to find out. If he found out he could start using those names, make them up and send Shaw and her team on a wild goose chase."

She snorted. "He could do that now."

Castle shook his head. "Shaw will find out soon enough if what he gave us was legitimate, and I'll make it clear if even one name winds up being wrong, everything is off and no book will ever be published."

Kate wasn't willing to concede. "Still, Gina, could get Black Pawn's letterhead and— "

He laughed. "Gina will want the book. She'll be excited over this."

This surprised her. "You're kidding."

"Gina was married to Black Pawn more than she ever was to me," he shrugged.

Kate didn't know what to say. "I wish … I wish he didn't have to win in this."

"I don't think he will. He can't profit from the book, and he never did say what to do with the profits."

"You would actually want to keep this money?" She didn't think he would.

But he didn't. "No, that would be my other condition to Black Pawn. All profits for the book will go into a foundation that will help Hunt's victims."

He said it so matter-of-factly she almost missed it. She sat open mouthed while he drank from his tumbler. When he realized she wasn't responding, he put the glass down and asked, "What?"

"That's … that's a wonderful idea." She was so astonished she couldn't hide the emotion in her voice. "When did you think of that?"

He cocked his head. "My mind went straight to it when he mentioned the publishing letter. It's the least he can do."

She stood staring at him and realized her face had broken into a large smile. "You really know how to spin anything into a positive, don't you?"

He finished his drink and set it on the table. He studied her studying him and eventually his face broke out into a blush. "Well, what's the alternative? Let him get the best of us? If I let him do that then he really has won."

She leaned forward to him, taking his hands. "You really know how to take a girl's breath away."

Without missing a beat, he replied, "So you learned last night."

She tried to scowl at him but her face kept itself in a grin.

"So where do we go from here, Kate?"

She didn't know exactly how to respond. "Well, I have the rest of the day off today. And tomorrow. How long is your family out of town?"

"I'm supposed to head back to the Hamptons and eventually we'll return to the city together." He stared. She nodded at that. He followed, "I could delay going back up there a few days." At that she smiled. "Or the rest of the summer."

He went to kiss her but she stopped him. "Wait, one thing I want to make clear. I … I think it's best if we keep our relationship a secret."

He didn't look happy at that. "Why?"

"Just … for a little while."

"I don't see why— "

She shook her head. She was sure about this. "Nikki Heat is about to come out, which by the way, I still hate that name." That smirk she used to find irritating was exciting her but she ignored it. "And I don't think it's a good idea for the public to find out the inspiration of this book is dating the author."

"Black Pawn will probably love it!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, but I won't." Taking his hands, she squeezed them. "I've always been a rather private person."

"You're kidding," he said dryly.

"Okay, I'm an extremely private person. It's one of the reasons I hated you shadowing me, always getting in my business …"

"Which you secretly loved."

She rolled her eyes. "Which I obviously hated. But I know you live this high profile life and it's a part of you."

He leaned into her, "I can step back from the press. I'll instruct Gina and Paula— "

Kate moved a hand to his cheek. "Please, Castle. At least until the publicity of the new book has died down and then maybe … if we're still together …"

"We're still going to be together!" He was grinning and Kate had to match it. "Okay, then, it's our secret."

He took her hand from his cheek and placed a kiss on the top of it, then turned it over and kissed the palm. The thrill that went through her was enough to make her shudder. He obviously noticed but wisely didn't say anything.

She was hoping he was going to lean in for a kiss but instead he asked, "What about my shadowing you?"

"What? N-no, Castle."

He dropped her hand. "Why not?"

"Because, Castle, if we are to keep this relationship a secret, it will be difficult to spend time together at the station, don't you think? That's why regulations forbid inter-department dating."

He leaned back. "But technically I don't work for the NYPD."

"Yeah but to the guys …" She didn't qualify what 'guys' she was speaking about. "I just doubt you can handle being around me and not being able to kiss me."

He snorted. "More like the other way around."

She bit her lip. "Still, I think our shadowing days are done."

"Okay," he said. Then he asked, "Can I tell Mother and Alexis?"

"Oh sure," she nodded quickly. "I mean, we could tell anyone as long as they won't tell others. I know Alexis will. Martha will keep our secret, won't she?"

Castle laughed. "Trust me, I know enough of her secrets she will keep ours with her life."

He leaned forward and she moved to meet him. Their lips touched and that same electricity she felt earlier returned. However, a noise erupted from her stomach and Castle pulled away grinning. "One kiss and I already have you growling with desire?"

She laughed. "More like hunger."

Jumping up, he extended his hand for her to take. She did. "Let's see if we can do something about that. Shall we? I'm sure I can throw something together in the kitchen."

"And then what?"

"Hmmmm, I don't know. A shower?" He pulled her to him and gave her a quick kiss.

The day might have started off iffy, but it was going to end up being a great day.

* * *

_Don't worry, I'm not ending it here. One more chapter, an epilogue of sorts. I hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it._


	26. Epilogue

Chapter 26  
_I want to thank my long suffering betas: SLynn, Scarlet and McManda. I feel like I've worked on this for years. YEARS. And thank you to the reviews that said it was comparable to a Castle episode (granted taking his father out of character). I find no better compliment._

* * *

_One Month Later_

Kate sat at her desk while the reporter, she remembered her name was Amy, sat in front of her with the recorder microphone in her hand. She was working on getting setup for the interview, giving Kate enough time to watch Castle while the "police models" were groping him. Kate gripped her coffee mug so tightly she was surprised it didn't break.

_Heat Wave_ was about to be released in a few days and Castle had said Black Pawn arranged for a magazine to come into the station and do a photo shoot with him as well as interview her. Kate had agreed, not realizing it was going to look like this. Of course, she knew he would remind her that he had asked about her still wanting to keep their dating a secret and she had been very adamant about that. Thus, he had to keep up appearances and not hide his bad boy image.

But that didn't mean she wanted to see him sandwiched between two models wearing only a minimal amount of clothing. He also didn't have to look so damn pleased about it.

"What's so special about world famous mystery novelist, Richard Castle? He's rich, he's handsome, and he's basing his next bestseller on you. Tell me, Detective Beckett, what's it like being the inspiration for thrill-master Richard Castle's new character: Nikki Heat?"

Kate had to tear her eyes away from the ridiculous spectacle of Castle and his models and force herself to answer the reporter's equally ridiculous question. "On behalf of the NYPD, it's been a pleasure to offer Mr. Castle insight into the profession."

The reporter continued. "Given all his best-sellers, it's obvious Mr. Castle has tremendous insight into the criminal mind. I'm told in many occasions his participation was essential to solving your toughest cases."

Kate had to fight back a smile. She knew the answer to this. "Really, who told you that?"

"Castle."

Kate couldn't help but think if she had heard this a few months ago she would have been outraged, but now she had to admit it was true, though she wasn't going to let Castle know that. This past month dating Castle, even in secret, she had been surprised at how easy things were between them. Usually, in embarking on a new relationship Kate would attempt to keep the guy at arm's length by only letting him in when she was ready. That was rare, but Castle had already learned those plays by her, and he came crashing in no matter how many doors she put up.

When she glanced at Castle and the models, jealousy came rushing back and she went back to squeezing the coffee cup. She gritted her teeth and excused herself from the annoying reporter. She really needed a break.

A little later after the photo shoot Kate was refilling her coffee in the break room just in time to see Esposito and Ryan almost fall all over themselves as the last model walked out. Esposito asked Kate why she didn't wear a uniform like that.

"Because I don't want to get paid in singles." He took her tone to not continue the conversation.

Suddenly Castle's head popped into the break room, a little breathless. "Hey."

Kate stopped pouring and glared at Castle. Ryan and Esposito were behind her, but they could tell Kate and the writer needed their privacy so they excused themselves quickly.

"I just want you to know," Castle said once they were out of the room, "I had nothing to do with this. It was the magazine, the Mayor thought it would be good press."

Trying to act nonchalant, she went back to her coffee. "It's fine, Castle."

He stepped closer to her. "Really, cause you didn't look fine while you sat—"

"Why wouldn't I be? Having a front row seat while you have those bachelor party cop twins use you like a stripper pole and forced to make nicey-nice with the press is something I live for!"

"Kate …" he whispered.

She wasn't going to listen to it. "If you excuse me, I have an interview to get back to."

He flinched when she walked away. He knew she was going to give him hell for this later.

When she approached the eager reporter Kate said in her most charming voice, "We can get back to the interview now."

"Nope," Esposito said when he walked up. "You're gonna have to reschedule. We just caught a body."

_Oh what a shame_, Kate gleefully thought. Putting on her most disappointed face she said, "So sorry to step out on you, Amy."

But Amy wasn't having any of it. "Oh! Are you kidding? It's perfect. A chance to see Castle in action. Our readers'll love it."

Before Kate could protest Captain Montgomery answered. "Well, we wouldn't want to disappoint your readers, now, would we, Detective?"

Gritting her teeth, Kate knew she had no choice.

Kate hoped Castle would remain quiet with the reporter in her car, but Amy kept asking him questions about police protocol, typical crime scenes, and common locations where bodies would be found and he kept "answering" them. Kate had to clutch the wheel to keep from crashing them into oncoming traffic.

When they arrived, Castle and Amy hopped out of the car quickly.

While they approached the crime scene, Castle whispered, "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

They got to their location and all eyes looked up while Lanie stood on a crane, which had lifted her level to the dead body in a tree.

Not being able to help himself, Castle said, "It's raining men."

Lanie glanced down at the sound of his voice, saying, "Castle, what are you doing here?"

He smiled and waved and to Kate's dismay she returned them both. She cursed herself for admitting to her best friend that she and Castle were now dating. Kate hadn't planned on it, but Lanie was particularly perceptive in recognizing when Kate was having great sex. When she started describing her as glowing she broke down and told the medical examiner. Now Kate regretted that.

Esposito and Ryan were there also and everyone made comments about the scene, such as Lanie's altitude and how Esposito wished she was in a skirt. Eventually Lanie forced everyone back to the matter at hand. "Vic's name is John Allen. ID has him on the Upper West Side. Business card has him in insurance."

The reporter, who had walked around talking to uniforms that were guarding the scene, finally made it to their area. She asked, "Is it suicide?"

Both Castle and Kate answered simultaneously, "It's not a suicide."

Surprise was evident on them as well as the reporter while the rest of the team gave each other knowing glances. Amy asked, "How do you know?"

Kate tried to keep from smiling. She had to remember she was annoyed with Castle. "Um, the building is too short. He'd want to kill himself, not cripple himself."

"If you want to die, you're going to aim for concrete, not a tree. Judging from the angle of the descent, I'd say that guy was thrown off the building."

Now Kate let the smile escape, being proud Castle had other reasons for seeing it wasn't suicide. "Since it clearly wasn't suicide, how did he die?"

Lanie answered it was strangulation, pointing out his windpipe was crushed.

"Any ligature marks?"

Quickly, Castle turned to Amy, "Ligature refers to anything that ties or binds, like a rope or a belt. The lack of marks suggests he was strangled by hand."

"Wow, you really know your stuff. No wonder they like having you around."

Now Kate was back to being agitated. Having an idea, Kate turned around. She had the perfect way to punish Castle for inflicting this situation on her. "You know what? He's such an incredible resource, it seems like a shame to waste his talents here in the field. Would you mind going back to the morgue with Dr. Parish to see what else you can find out about the vic?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't you think I'd be more use here at the crime scene?"

"Oh, no. We're just gonna knock on doors and see what else we can stir up. You know, boring police stuff."

He didn't buy it, but he had no choice. "Fine. Come on, Amy, I'll show you the morgue-mobile."

Kate watched them walk away finally feeling vindication at turning the tables around on him. That is until Lanie came down from the crane a few minutes later. "Well, excuse me while I go sit with writer boy. Thanks, Kate."

"What?" _Uh-oh._

"I've been wanting to talk to him about you guys."

"Lanie!" Kate whispered. "Please, you know we are keeping our dating a secret. If Amy were to hear …"

"Don't worry, I got that covered. She can ride up front while Castle and I ride in the back."

Kate watched in horror as they left.

* * *

Hours later the team, including Castle and Lanie, was back at the station. Someone had hijacked the coroner's van and stolen the body. Both Castle and Lanie looked unhurt, but Lanie was giving Castle a cursory medical exam to be sure.

When she was done Montgomery asked, "Well?"

"He'll live." She then flicked his ear to make him jump.

Ryan grinned. "What? No brain damage?"

She shook her head. "If he has some, it happened way before tonight and was probably self-inflicted."

"Ah, good times," he said, smiling.

Kate sat on her desk as everyone commented how Amy had gone home shaken. Kate kept watching Castle to make sure he was really okay, but he was making jokes and appearing normal - well, as normal as possible for him.

Still, she had become quite alarmed when she got the call and overly relieved when it appeared they were unhurt. For the first time, she wished their relationship was in the open because all she wanted to do was hug him.

When she stood up Castle was just explaining to everyone who would want a dead body. "—organ harvesters, cadaver-less med students, Satanists, mad scientists looking to create their own monster."

Yeah, he was fine. Behind him she offered, "Or the guys who killed him might have left some evidence behind."

Castle turned to her voice and looked like he was considering it, for a second. "Boring! How about a spy, having swallowed a top-secret microchip, that the enemy forces murder him over before the CIA can get hold of him?"

She fought back a smile. "As much as we all appreciate your insightful and incredibly believable theories, Ms. Cosmo is gone, so I believe you can go home now." She didn't add she would be seeing him there very soon.

"Home, No, no, no. This, this case just got good. And-and I'm a witness."

Kate was about to say no when Castle looked at Montgomery and his look made it obvious she had to say yes. Sighing, she said, "Alright, I'll let you work this one case with us, but just this one time."

"Deal! But fair warning, you will change your mind about me being here on just on this one case."

"I won't!" she said.

"You will."

Kate didn't miss the glances exchanged between everyone else.

* * *

Once the case is closed and the bad guy caught, Kate could no longer deny that having Castle with them helped solve the case quicker. She worried that seeing him both at night and during the day would be too much but that wasn't the case at all. Of course, now he was pushing to remain around but she wasn't sure.

He sat at her desk in his old seat. She tried to reconcile it would be the last time.

They had been talking about the case. "So, case is closed. I guess your Cosmo story gets a happy ending."

"Speaking of happy endings, thanks for saving my life." He smiled and she returned it. Then he leaned in, whispering softly, "Do you think you could repeat the Russian accent later in private?"

Fighting the smile didn't work this time. "Maybe."

He leaned back voice normal. "You know, we make a pretty good team. Like Starsky and Hutch. Tango and Cash. Turner and Hooch."

Sometimes he made it so easy. "You know, now that you mention it, you do remind me a little of Hooch."

A moment passed and he leaned in. "I need to talk to you."

"About?" She suspected his motives.

"It's about the other book I'm working on." _Oh._

Castle had been going to see Hunt every week like clockwork. He didn't want her to come with him, which made her crazy. When he would return, he wouldn't really talk about it. Sometimes they would have sex, other times he would just want to be held. It worried her but Shaw always told Castle about how the families were glad to have the closure they needed which helped.

His idea about the victims receiving profits was going well, or Kate thought. Black Pawn agreed to the trust and Castle had signed some agreement that he would use a penname. Apparently that was their problem. "Black Pawn wants me to use my own name."

She started to argue but he gestured he had more. "Their reason is with my name attached, it would sell more copies. The profits would be much higher and thus …"

She cringed. "More money for the families."

He nodded. "Kate, I agreed to this for them to get the money, so shouldn't I do as much as I raise— "

"You're doing more than enough, Castle," Kate whispered. She knew he chose the precinct as the location to have this conversation because he thought it would inhibit her from talking him out of it, but this was too important. His name was too important. "And it's not worth your reputation. You will get billed like you are taking advantage of the circumstances. And people may expect you to do other true crime, which you wouldn't want. Would you want to give up Nikki Heat?"

"Since when are you worried about Nikki Heat?" he questioned.

"This is serious! Someone could dig into why he came after you and find out the truth of who Gulliver is."

He shook his head. "I know, but I probably should still do it even if the truth comes out of how I'm related to Hunt. And who cares if I wind up pigeonholed working on true crime? Isn't that a small price to pay if it raises double what—"

"No, it's not a small price to pay! God, Castle, do you have any idea how important your books are?"

He was surprised at her outburst. Luckily there weren't enough people around to hear it. "They're just books. Fictional stories. It's not like they change a person's life."

"I told you they do!" Kate said, he was surprised at the tears in her eyes. She looked down, contemplating on finally revealing how she came upon his books in the first place. "Castle, I never told you what your books meant to me."

He sat there, not answering. He obviously could sense she was about to tell him something of significance.

"My mother was a big fan of yours. She loved your books and she was always saying I should read them." Kate shifted in her seat, trying to make herself comfortable. "I wasn't really into mysteries but even so, my college schedule really didn't allow for much recreational reading. She kept pushing me, told me to at least read her favorite. I never got around to it.

"A few days after she was killed, I was still upset and angry and Dad had immediately turned to drinking. To be honest, I didn't think it was a bad idea at the time. I might have joined him if I hadn't seen ... I was in their bedroom, helping him to sleep and tempted to go find a drink too. Instead I glanced at her nightstand and saw your book, her favorite: _Hell Hath No Fury_."

He sat back, shocked. The meaning of why she was telling him this was sinking in. "I picked it up and took it into the living room. I finished reading it because I never went to bed."

She stopped and looked at him. He always loved she was a fan, but he had no idea. He was also completely clueless on what initially led her to his books. Just that realization was enough to take his breath away. She went on. "I got as many of your books as I could. I saw why she loved them and I understood for the first time what bittersweet meant. Reading those books, I felt a connection to her which I thought would be gone forever at her death, but I could also imagine discussions she and I would have over them.

"You had a book signing the next week and you were really popular. I stood in line for an hour to have it signed."

"By me?" Castle said, complete shock on his face. She nodded and he stumbled over his words. "God, Kate, I had no … I don't rem—, I'm so sorry that I never realized we met before. If I had remembered …"

Kate tilted her head and started to reach for him until she remembered where they were and stopped. Recovering, she tapped on the desk to force his eyes to her. "Castle, I never would have expected you to remember me back then. I didn't tell you this for you to feel bad. I told you so you would understand that your books can help people."

"But …" he started, still stuck on the fact they met years before. Forcing himself to focus, he cleared his throat. "Okay, I need some time to process this news but … are you sure it's okay not to put my name on this? I feel like I'm being selfish. He is my father after all, and—"

"Castle, I'm going to remind you for the last time, you aren't anything like him. You're generous and sweet and loving." She noted how he reacted to the last word. She went on. "And the only motivations you have about murder are preventing and solving them."

Tears brimmed in the corners of his eyes. "Thank you."

It took her only a brief moment to make the decision and she quickly spoke before she changed her mind. "That's why you'll be here tomorrow."

He nodded at first not realizing what she said. Then he caught on. "Wait, what?"

Blushing now, she turned away to face the computer screen. "You can come back tomorrow, assuming you want to continue shad— "

"YES!" He spoke so loudly she immediately began shushing him.

"Honestly, Castle, don't make me regret this decision."

Beaming, he replied. "You won't."

Narrowing her eyes at him, she enjoyed watching him squirm. "Good. Now, be a good boy and run along. I have to finish up the paperwork on this."

"Hmmm-hmmmm," he said, getting up. Leaning over her, he whispered, "Told you would change your mind."

Now she snapped her head at him ready to grab his ear, but he was already headed to the elevator. She glared at him. He was practically skipping.

She went back to her computer screen, typing away. A few minutes later her phone buzzed. Sighing, she looked at it to see a text appeared with what should have been his name. At some point without her knowledge, he had gotten into her phone and changed his name to "Wild Thing."

She should have been angry, but she read the text and any anger she had instantly dissipated. "If I had one wish, I wish to remember the first day we really met."

* * *

_Thank you to everyone who read, followed, favorite and reviewed. I couldn't have done this without my betas but I need to add a special thank you to Slynn who's idea it was to let the profits of the book go to the victims, such a Castle like thing to do! Also, the idea to rename his contact name in her phone was something Slynn did in one of her earlier FF works. I started writing this story to see if it was possible to have Castle and Kate successfully get together in S1 and let it "stick" which I think I succeeded. Hopefully you do too!_


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